Mission Cost Reduction

The United States Air Force has historically performed the ICBM launch detection mission using satellites placed in high altitude orbits. This type of mission can also be performed at other altitudes while still maintaining overall mission performance. The choice of satellite altitude drives the size of the constellation, the characteristics of the sensor system and the supporting electronics, and the associated launch costs. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate to a first order that the ICBM launch detection mission can be performed at a lower altitude for a lower overall cost using a constellation of smaller less capable satellites while still maintaining overall mission performance.