[Satellite Today 10-03-08] The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticized the U.S. Department of Defense‘s handling of the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) in a report released Sept. 30.
    SBIRS, a satellite surveillance system that include satellites in geosynchronous orbit and low Earth orbit, has struggled with cost overruns. According to the Center for Defense Information, the total cost of the project has jumped from around $4 billion to $10 billion.
    In "Goals for Resolving Space Based Infrared System Software Problems Are Ambitious,"  the GAO calls for the Pentagon to realistic cost and schedule estimates for the program.

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