SBIRS GEO-5 joins Space Force
Space Operations Command in the US Space Force has accepted into service the fifth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (SBIRS GEO-5) missile warning satellite.
On-orbit testing showed a 40% improvement in performance for GEO-5 compared with its four predecessors, Lockheed Martin claimed in a 7 February statement.
GEO-5 was launched in May 2021 as the first military satellite with the LM2100 Combat Bus, which provides resiliency and cyber-hardening against growing threats, as well as improved spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics.
The satellite is now being operated by the Space Force’s 2nd Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado.
Lockheed Martin completed work on SBIRS GEO-6 in September 2021. This satellite is expected to be launched in mid-2022.
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