Space Force targets replacing its older DMSP weather satellites by 2028
According to a report today at Air and Space Force magazine, the Space Force now intends to maintain its old DMSP weather satellite constellation through 2028, replacing it slowly with two different government-designed smallsat constellations as well as commercial weather satellite constellations.
The service had anticipated decommissioning the three remaining Defense Meteorological Satellite Program spacecraft this year, but a spokesperson told Air & Space Force Magazine that timeline will stretch to 2028 as the Space Force works to field a new constellation of weather satellites.
… The service is in the midst of replacing DMSP with a mix of smaller satellites with disaggregated payloads. The near-term plan is to split DMSP sensors across two programs: the Weather System Follow-on Microwave program, or WSF-M, and the Electro-Optical/Infrared Weather System, or EWS. WSF-M satellites will identify and characterize tropical storms and high winds and measure snow soil and depth, while EWS satellites will carry electro-optical infrared sensors to provide imagery of cloud coverage and forecasts for military planners.
The first WSF-M satellite launched in 2024, but program delays have prevented further launches on time. Similarly, the first EWS satellite won’t launch until this year, and appears to have experienced similar delays. In both cases, these delays are typical of government-designed projects, and are the main reason the Space Force is also, to quote the article:
… exploring options to use commercial spacecraft and data to complement the dedicated military satellites it’s fielding. Last year, it awarded a $44 million contract to Muon Space to modify one of its multispectral imaging payloads for military use and install it on three satellites to support Space Force demonstrations. The service has indicated it is interested in a range of ground and space-based remote sensing technology and is working with other companies to better understand what data and services are commercially available.
In other words, private enterprise is more likely to provide the Space Force the weather information it needs, and do it faster and for less money. What a concept! Who wudda thunk it?
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It is a rich country that can afford a weather satellite constellation just for its military, a second constellation for civil use (the National Weather Service) and a bevy of private ones. Amazing.
It’s not about ‘affording’; it’s about ‘investing’.
Let’s hope the remaining DMSP birds don’t follow in the footsteps of several of their predecessors and blow up on-orbit after being retired.
Those birds are old, old, old. Amazing how many attempts have been made and failed to replace them throughout the decades.
Milspace is and has been very capable when they want to be.
This system clearly hasn’t been a priority.
“This system clearly hasn’t been a priority.”
That was likely one of the motivators for splitting off the Space Force. The Air Force has it’s hand full here, and the space theater was not getting the attention and resources demanded in a changing world. The Force has had to carve out it’s niche, and is still doing so, but ‘Space Force’ sounds much less a joke, when it does tangible things in it’s AOR.
What the heck happened?* JPSS was supposed to be the replacement for DMSP. That’s why there’s a “J” at the front of “JPSS.” So the JPSS program failed one of its major objectives, and they’re just now dealing with it after 30 years?
*Exasperation directed to the Air/Space Force, not our host. Add more exasperation for scrapping a fully completed DMSP-20 when they knew it had no replacement.
Next time on “You Don’t Hate The Air Force Nearly Enough:”
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6040353-airman-detained-again-capitol-trump-protest/
I don’t like some of Trump-era policies, but this is nauseating.
Give me five minutes with him and some brass knuckles