DARPA receives first SeeMe satellite
Raytheon has delivered the first Space Enabled Effects for Military Engagements (SeeMe) satellite to DARPA, the company announced on 3 October.
The new satellite will provide increased situational awareness to soldiers on the ground.
DARPA's SeeMe programme intends to show that small satellites can be built affordably to give small squads direct and timely tactical imagery. A future constellation of small satellites would deliver high-resolution images of precise locations of interest to the soldier's handheld device.
DARPA will integrate the SeeMe satellite onto a Spaceflight Industries payload that will be launched into low-earth orbit on a SpaceX rocket later in 2018. Military users will have an opportunity to evaluate the satellite's performance during missions in early 2019.
Ultimately, a SeeMe constellation may comprise several types of small satellites, each lasting one to five years. They would then de-orbit and burn up, leaving no space debris and causing no re-entry hazard.
More from Digital Battlespace
-
Jacobs wins MoD cyber-security support contract
The deal with Jacobs will run until November 2027 and will see the company deliver a range of digital and IT specialist professional services to Defence Digital.
-
Norway to receive maritime surveillance satellite data from Kongsberg
Norway's Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace has announced that its subsidiary Kongsberg NanoAvionics will produce three satellites and launch them in 2025.
-
First South Korean 425 Project observation satellite launched
In 2015, South Korea named a consortium of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hanwha Systems, along with Thales Alenia Space providing the SAR payload derived from its HE-R1000 product, as preferred bidder to develop new Korea 425 Project reconnaissance satellites.
-
German military introduces central command and new cyber branch
The German defence minister claimed the reforms would mean the 2025 military budget would require an additional €6.5 billion (US$7 billion).