1/23/2023 - Written By Caleb Henry
More clarity is emerging around what types of payloads the Space Development Agency (SDA) is considering for the handful of experimental satellites it plans to include in the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA) constellation. The recently announced SABRE project – a tortured acronym for Space-Based Telemetry Monitoring, Electronic Support, and Alternative Navigation – aims to save millions of dollars on American hypersonics tests by collecting and relaying telemetry data over satellites instead of aircraft and ships. SABRE’s secondary objectives include testing alternatives to GPS for Position, Navigation and Timing, and “Electronic Support,” which likely means some sort of RF mapping or signal geolocation capability. While SABRE’s primary objective is very much in line with the NDSA’s core purpose, the secondary missions could mark the beginning of new services for the constellation that overlap with (and perhaps one day supersede) GPS and select electronic warfare space programs. Proposals for payloads onboard four satellites are due Jan. 30, 2023.
SOURCE: https://breakingdefense.com/2023/01/sda-hopes-sabre-sensors-can-slash-missile-testing-costs-by-millions/