US satellite could detect Chinese hypersonic missiles, but could it stop them?
- Prototype for satellite that will help US track hypersonic threats reportedly passes design review, clearing the way for it to be built
- Hypersonic weapons’ trajectory makes their destination difficult for anti-missile systems to calculate
A report from C4ISRNET, a US-based publication covering emerging issues and trends in global military transformation and network-centric warfare technologies, reported on Wednesday that a prototype satellite that will help the US Missile Defence Agency track hypersonic threats had passed a critical design review, allowing contractors to make it.
Named the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS), it will operate in low Earth orbit as part of a constellation of hundreds of satellites, according to the report.
In January, the US Missile Defence Agency selected L3Harris Technologies and Northrop Grumman to design, build and demonstrate prototype satellites for the HBTSS. L3Harris was awarded US$122 million, while Northrop Grumman was awarded US$155 million.
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“The combination of high speed, manoeuvrability and relatively low altitude of some of the emerging advanced missile threats makes them challenging targets for our current missile defence systems,” the US Space Development Agency explained when it issued the contracts.
“HBTSS is needed, since we cannot populate the Earth and the oceans with terrestrial radars to meet this need.”