Tags: Satellite Ground Station, Satellite Control Network, Department of Defense
Publication: DefenseSystems.com
Publication Date: 04/25/2013

White Sands Complex (WSC). Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

A new report from the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) has highlighted how the Department of Defense’s (DOD) satellite control networks are fragmented and potentially duplicative. According to the “Satellite Control: Long Term Planning and Adoption of Commercial Practices Could Improve DOD’s Operations” report, the DOD has “increasingly deployed standalone satellite control operations networks, which are designed to operate a single satellite system, as opposed to shared systems that can operate multiple kinds of satellites.”

While the DOD’s current approach brings benefits to the particular programs they operate, it generates more across the board costs that could be minimized by shared systems. For example, the report points out that one U.S. Air Force base has 10 satellite programs operated by eight separate control centers, which could be merged to obtain same results and save money. The Air Force has allocated $400 million over the next five years for modernization but the plans don’t include improvements to the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) network’s capabilities.

To improve the situation, the GAO’s report proposes the implementation of commercial practices to increase efficiency and decrease costs of the DoD’s satellite control operations.

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