New Satellite for Detecting Missiles in Real-Time

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Nowadays, space is seeing an increase in investments by governments, corporations, and researchers to develop new space technologies as well as upgrade existing systems to improve military capabilities.

A partnership between the US Space Force and the companies Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace has been formed to design and build two sensor payloads for polar orbiting satellites designed to detect ballistic and supersonic missile launches.

The recent events in Ukraine have made it clear that nuclear weapons are much more than just a relic of the Cold War. As a countermeasure, the US Space Force has a constellation of early warning satellites designed to detect missile launches and nuclear explosions across the globe. In place of their predecessors and as part of the NGP program, two new satellites will be launched into space by the end of next year.

As part of the NGP program, the satellites will be able to make elliptical orbits and pass over the poles, which will enable them to monitor threatening activity in real time and cover a wide range of altitudes, including the Arctic region, where nuclear and hypersonic missiles are most likely to be active. According to newatlas.com, ballistic and supersonic missiles will be detected and tracked by the satellites  infrared sensors. These new systems will also be protected from cyber attacks and satellite attacks. The solution will be used soon by US forces and will make sure that the Northern Hemisphere (and in particular the Arctic region) is continuously monitored against various threats.