Space Acquisitions
DOD Is Making Progress to Rapidly Deliver Low Cost Space Capabilities, but Challenges Remain Gao ID: GAO-08-516 April 25, 2008The Department of Defense (DOD) invests heavily in space assets to provide the warfighter with intelligence, navigation, and other information critical to conducting military operations. In fiscal year 2008 alone, DOD expects to spend over $22 billion dollars on space systems. Despite this investment, senior military commanders have reported shortfalls in tactical space capabilities in each recent major conflict over the past decade. To provide short-term tactical capabilities as well as identify and implement long-term solutions to developing low cost satellites, DOD initiated operationally responsive space (ORS). Following a 2006 GAO review of ORS, the Congress directed DOD to submit a report that sets forth a plan for providing quick acquisition of low cost space capabilities. This report focuses on the status of DOD's progress in responding to the Congress and is based on GAO's review and analyses of ORS documentation and interviews with DOD and industry officials.
Since GAO last reported on DOD's ORS efforts in 2006, the department has taken several steps toward establishing a program management structure for ORS and executing research and development efforts. On the programmatic side, DOD provided Congress with a plan that lays out an organizational structure and defines the responsibilities of the newly created Joint ORS Office, and describes an approach for satisfying warfighters' needs. DOD has also begun staffing the office. On the research and development side, DOD has launched one of its TacSat satellites--small experimental satellites intended to quickly provide a capability that meets an identified need within available resources--and has begun developing several others. It has also made progress in developing interface standards for satellite buses--the platform that provides power, altitude, temperature control, and other support to the satellite in space--and continued its sponsorship of efforts aimed at acquiring low cost launch vehicles. Despite this progress, it is too early to determine the overall success of these efforts because most are still in their initial phases. Achieving success in ORS will be challenging. With relatively modest resources, the Joint ORS Office must quickly respond to the warfighter's urgent needs, while continuing research and development efforts that are necessary to help reduce the cost and time of future space acquisitions. As it negotiates these priorities, the office will need to coordinate its efforts with a broad array of programs and agencies in the science and technology, acquisition, and operational communities. Historically, it has been difficult to transition programs from the science and technology environment to the acquisition and operational environment. At this time, DOD lacks a plan that lays out how it will direct its investments to meet current operational needs while pursuing innovative approaches and new technologies.
RecommendationsOur recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.
Director: Team: Phone:GAO-08-516, Space Acquisitions: DOD Is Making Progress to Rapidly Deliver Low Cost Space Capabilities, but Challenges Remain
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Report to the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Committee on Armed
Services, U.S. Senate:
United States Government Accountability Office:
GAO:
April 2008:
Space Acquisitions:
DOD Is Making Progress to Rapidly Deliver Low Cost Space Capabilities,
but Challenges Remain:
GAO-08-516:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-08-516, a report to the Subcommittee on Strategic
Forces, Committee on Armed Services, U.S. Senate.
Why GAO Did This Study:
The Department of Defense (DOD) invests heavily in space assets to
provide the warfighter with intelligence, navigation, and other
information critical to conducting military operations. In fiscal year
2008 alone, DOD expects to spend over $22 billion dollars on space
systems. Despite this investment, senior military commanders have
reported shortfalls in tactical space capabilities in each recent major
conflict over the past decade.
To provide short-term tactical capabilities as well as identify and
implement long-term solutions to developing low cost satellites, DOD
initiated operationally responsive space (ORS). Following a 2006 GAO
review of ORS, the Congress directed DOD to submit a report that sets
forth a plan for providing quick acquisition of low cost space
capabilities.
This report focuses on the status of DOD‘s progress in responding to
the Congress and is based on GAO‘s review and analyses of ORS
documentation and interviews with DOD and industry officials.
What GAO Found:
Since GAO last reported on DOD‘s ORS efforts in 2006, the department
has taken several steps toward establishing a program management
structure for ORS and executing research and development efforts. On
the programmatic side, DOD provided Congress with a plan that lays out
an organizational structure and defines the responsibilities of the
newly created Joint ORS Office, and describes an approach for
satisfying warfighters‘ needs. DOD has also begun staffing the office.
On the research and development side, DOD has launched one of its
TacSat satellites”small experimental satellites intended to quickly
provide a capability that meets an identified need within available
resources”and has begun developing several others. It has also made
progress in developing interface standards for satellite buses”the
platform that provides power, attitude, temperature control, and other
support to the satellite in space”and continued its sponsorship of
efforts aimed at acquiring low cost launch vehicles. Despite this
progress, it is too early to determine the overall success of these
efforts because most are still in their initial phases.
Achieving success in ORS will be challenging. With relatively modest
resources, the Joint ORS Office must quickly respond to the
warfighter‘s urgent needs, while continuing research and development
efforts that are necessary to help reduce the cost and time of future
space acquisitions. As it negotiates these priorities, the office will
need to coordinate its efforts with a broad array of programs and
agencies in the science and technology, acquisition, and operational
communities. Historically, it has been difficult to transition programs
from the science and technology environment to the acquisition and
operational environment. At this time, DOD lacks a plan that lays out
how it will direct its investments to meet current operational needs
while pursuing innovative approaches and new technologies.
What GAO Recommends:
GAO recommends that the Secretary of the Air Force develop an
investment plan”approved by stakeholders”that identifies how to achieve
future capabilities, establishes funding priorities, and implements
mechanisms to measure progress. DOD concurred with the recommendation.
To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-516]. For more
information, contact. Cristina Chaplain, (202) 512-4859,
chaplainc@gao.gov.
[End of section]
Contents:
Letter:
Results in Brief:
Background:
DOD Has Made Progress to Develop a Management Structure and Build a
Technological Foundation for ORS:
ORS Challenges Magnified by Lack of a Plan to Guide Investments and
Efforts:
Conclusions:
Recommendation for Executive Action:
Agency Comments:
Scope and Methodology:
Appendix I: Comment from the Department of Defense:
Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:
Tables:
Table 1: Status of Efforts to Develop a Management Structure by Action:
Table 2: Status of Efforts to Develop and Demonstrate TacSat
Experimental Satellites:
Table 3: Status of Efforts to Develop and Test Satellite Interface and
Bus Standards:
Table 4: Efforts to Develop a Launch Infrastructure:
Abbreviations:
DARPA: Defense Advanced Research Project Agency:
DOD: Department of Defense:
GAO: Government Accountability Office:
ORS: operationally responsive space:
SpaceX: Space Explorations Technologies:
[End of section]
United States Government Accountability Office: Washington, DC 20548:
April 25, 2008:
The Honorable Bill Nelson:
Chairman:
The Honorable Jeff Sessions:
Ranking Member:
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces:
Committee on Armed Services:
United States Senate:
The Department of Defense (DOD) is investing heavily in large, complex
satellites and other space assets to provide the warfighter with
communications, intelligence, navigation, missile-warning, and other
information critical to conducting military operations. In fiscal year
2008 alone, DOD expects to spend over $22 billion dollars to develop
and procure satellites and other space systems. Yet, for the past two
decades, major satellite programs have been beset with significant cost
overruns and schedule delays. Moreover, in each major conflict over the
past decade, senior military commanders reported shortfalls in tactical
space capabilities, such as those intended to provide communications
and imagery data to the warfighter in theater.
To help address these issues, DOD recently initiated an effort known as
operationally responsive space (ORS). The ORS initiative encompasses
several separate endeavors with a goal to provide short-term tactical
capabilities as well as identifying and implementing long-term
technology and design solutions to reduce the cost and time of
developing and delivering simpler satellites in greater numbers. More
specifically, these include developing and launching small-size
satellites, acquiring lower cost launch systems, developing
standardized satellite components, as well as exploring a variety of
new common design techniques. Though DOD has tried to make space
acquisition more responsive in the past, the current ORS initiative is
a concerted effort to create an environment where new concepts and
ideas can be fostered and transitioned to users.
We reviewed aspects of the ORS initiative in 2006 and concluded that
DOD needed a departmentwide strategy for pursuing low cost, responsive
tactical capabilities--both satellite and launch--for the warfighter,
and to identify corresponding funding.[Footnote 1] Subsequently, the
Congress directed DOD to submit a report that sets forth a plan for
providing quick acquisition of low cost space capabilities.[Footnote 2]
Given the potential these efforts offer for changing the way DOD
acquires and fields space capabilities, you asked us to report on the
status of DOD's progress to date in implementing the program and
assessing associated challenges. We also reviewed DOD's development of
a higher level strategy to guide the ORS initiative, an action that we
reported separately to you in March 2008. Further, we are reviewing
ORS' requirements setting process and its integration into warfighting
concepts of operation, which we will report on later in June 2008.
[Footnote 3]
To conduct our work for this report, we reviewed and analyzed ORS
documentation and interviewed officials representing the ORS initiative
as well as officials from the warfighting, acquisition, science, and
technology communities and industry. We conducted this performance
audit from May 2007 to February 2008 in accordance with generally
accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we
plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence
to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on
our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a
reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit
objectives.
Results in Brief:
DOD is making progress in putting a program management structure in
place for ORS as well as executing ORS-related research and development
efforts. On the programmatic side, DOD provided Congress with a plan
that lays out an organizational structure and defines the
responsibilities of the newly created Joint ORS Office, and describes
an approach for satisfying warfighters' needs. DOD has also begun
staffing the office. On the research and development side, DOD has
launched one of its small-sized satellites and begun developing several
others, made progress in developing interface standards for satellite
buses, and continued its sponsorship of efforts aimed at acquiring low
cost launch vehicles. It is too early to determine how successful these
efforts will be because most are still in their initial stages.
As DOD moves forward, it will be challenged on many fronts as ORS is
expected to execute a range of efforts within relatively modest
resources and amid competing demands and pressure to produce quick
results. For example, rapid development and deployment of small
satellites is being currently considered as a potential solution for
various capability gaps that may occur because of schedule delays on
larger acquisition programs. But concentrating efforts to fill just one
gap could be relatively expensive and time consuming for the ORS
initiative and divert resources from other ORS efforts. For example,
some officials we spoke with asserted that not enough attention was
being paid to acquiring low cost launch vehicles--a linchpin to
reducing satellite development costs in the future. At this time, DOD
currently lacks tools needed to negotiate these challenges--primarily,
a plan that lays out how it will direct its investments to meet
existing gaps while at the same time pursuing innovative approaches and
new technologies to rapidly respond to future warfighter needs. To help
DOD successfully negotiate this challenge, we are recommending that DOD
develop an investment plan.
Background:
In May 2003, the Office of Force Transformation began funding small
experimental satellites to enhance the responsiveness to the warfighter
and to create a new business model for developing and employing space
systems.[Footnote 4] As we have reported over the past two decades,
DOD's space portfolio has been dominated by larger space system
acquisitions, which have taken longer, cost more, and delivered fewer
quantities and capabilities than planned.[Footnote 5] The ORS
initiative is a considerable departure from DOD's large space
acquisition approach. The initiative aims to quickly deliver low cost,
short-term tactical capabilities to address unmet needs of the
warfighter. Unlike traditional large satellite programs, the ORS
initiative is intended to address only a small number of unmet tactical
needs--one or two--with each delivery of capabilities. It is not
designed to replace current satellite capabilities or major space
programs in development. Also, the initiative potentially aims to
identify and facilitate ways to reduce the time and cost for all future
space development efforts.
As we have previously reported, managing requirements so that their
development is matched with resources offers an opportunity to mature
technologies in the science and technology environment--a best
acquisition practice.[Footnote 6] We also have reported that the ORS
initiative could provide opportunities for small companies--who often
have a high potential to introduce novel solutions and innovations into
space acquisitions--to compete for DOD contracts. Consolidations within
the defense industrial base for space programs have made it difficult
for such companies to compete. ORS could broaden the defense industrial
base and thereby promote competition and innovation.
DOD Has Made Progress to Develop a Management Structure and Build a
Technological Foundation for ORS:
Since we last reported on DOD's ORS efforts in 2006, the department has
taken several steps toward establishing a program management structure
for ORS and executing research and development efforts. Despite this
progress, it is too early to determine the overall success of these
efforts because most are still in their initial phases.
Program Management Structure:
Congress directed that DOD submit a report that sets forth a plan for
the quick acquisition of low cost space capabilities and establish a
Joint ORS Office to coordinate and manage the ORS initiative. In the
first half of 2007, DOD delivered an ORS plan to Congress and
established a Joint ORS Office. DOD created the Joint ORS Office to
coordinate and manage specific science and technology efforts to
fulfill joint military operational requirements for on-demand space
support and reconstitution. In addition, DOD is working with other
government agencies to staff the office, developing an implementation
plan, and establishing a process for determining which existing
requirements for short-term tactical capabilities the office should
pursue. Responsiveness is an attribute desired by the entire space
community, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
and the military service laboratories. Most of the efforts under the
ORS initiative are being executed by science and technology
organizations and other DOD agencies. The office will be responsible
for coordinating, planning, acquiring, and transitioning those efforts.
Its work is to be guided by an executive committee, comprised of senior
officials from DOD, the military services, the intelligence community,
and other government agencies. Most requirements for needed short-term
tactical capabilities are expected to come through the U.S. Strategic
Command. To respond to unmet warfighter needs, ORS requirements will be
based on existing validated requirements. Table 1 summarizes the status
of some of DOD's efforts related to the management structure.
Table 1: Status of Efforts to Develop a Management Structure by Action:
Status: Deliver a plan to Congress as required by the 2007 National
Defense Authorization Act: Completed; DOD submitted the plan in April
2007;
Description:
* The plan identifies a general approach for establishing the
responsive space initiative and establishes an office to coordinate and
execute ORS activities;
* The Joint ORS Office, located at Kirtland Air Force Base in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, was officially activated in May 2007.
Status: Staff the Joint ORS Office: Status: In progress; 8 of the 20
expected government positions have been filled as of February 2008;
Description:
* The office is to be staffed with up to 20 government (military and
civilian) positions to be provided by the various military services and
agencies associated with responsive space activities;
* As of February 1, 2008, 8 government positions were staffed by
personnel from the United States Air Force, Army, and Navy; the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the National
Reconnaissance Office; the National Security Agency; the Air National
Guard; and Sandia Laboratory;
* Additional support is being provided by 14 Federally Funded Research
and Development Centers[A] and Systems Engineering and Technical
Assistance[B] contractors.
Status: Develop an implementation plan: In progress; the plan is
expected to be approved in February 2008;
Description:
* In July 2007, the Deputy Secretary of Defense directed the Executive
Agent for Space to develop an implementation plan that describes how
the office will deliver existing space capabilities, evolve new
capabilities, and leverage innovative approaches to meet requirements
identified by the U.S. Strategic Command;
* DOD established a working group with five subgroups tasked with
making recommendations on requirements, acquisitions, manpower, lead
service, and executive committee. One of the subgroups is tasked with
developing a charter for the Executive Committee that would define the
roles and responsibilities of the committee members from the various
and diverse agencies.
Description: Establish a requirements process; In progress;
Description:
* ORS requirements are to be based on existing but unsatisfied
validated requirements to respond to combatant commanders' needs. The
Joint ORS Office received a request from U.S. Strategic Command to
develop a communications capability that cannot be satisfied by the
current ultra high frequency system. The requested capability falls
within the validated requirements set for the Mobile User Objective
System, currently under development.[C].
Source: DOD data and GAO analysis.
[A] Federally Funded Research and Development Centers conduct research
for the U.S. government.
[B] Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance contractors are
civilian employees of government contractors who are contracted to
assist DOD components and acquisition programs.
[C] The Navy's Mobile User Objective System is expected to provide low
data rate voice and data communications capable of penetrating most
weather, foliage, and man-made structures beginning in late 2009.
[End of table]
Research and Development Efforts:
DOD is continuing to make progress in developing TacSats--its small
experimental satellite projects. In addition, DOD is funding research
efforts by industry to facilitate the development of future
capabilities and is working with industry and academia to develop
standards for building satellite components. Finally, DOD is working to
improve the capabilities of existing small launch vehicles and
providing some funding for future launch vehicles.
Development of Small-Sized Satellites:
The TacSat experiments aim to quickly provide the warfighter with a
capability that meets an identified need within available resources--
time, funding, and technology. Limiting the TacSats' scope allows DOD
to trade off higher reliability and performance[Footnote 7] for speed,
responsiveness, convenience, and customization. Once each TacSat
satellite is launched, DOD plans to test its level of utility to the
warfighter in theater. If military utility is established, DOD will
assess the acquisition plan required to procure and launch numerous
TacSats--forming constellations--to provide wider coverage over a
specific theater. As a result, each satellite's capability does not
need to be as complex as that of DOD's larger satellites and does not
carry with it the heightened consequence of failure as if each
satellite alone were providing total coverage. DOD currently has five
TacSat experiments in different stages of development (see table 2).
Table 2: Status of Efforts to Develop and Demonstrate TacSat
Experimental Satellites:
Status: TacSat 1: In progress; satellite has been developed but not
demonstrated;
Description:
* The Naval Research Laboratory led a year-long effort to develop
TacSat 1, at a cost of $23 million;
* TacSat 1 was completed in May 2004, but has yet to be demonstrated
because of delays incurred with the development and testing of a low
cost launch vehicle;
* Given the launch delay, the Naval Research Laboratory decided to add
a new sensor--an automated identification system to support maritime
missions. The new sensor and other new capabilities are estimated to
cost $10.5 million;
* The Joint ORS Office, the Navy, Coast Guard, and Department of
Defense Research and Engineering are currently working to develop a
cost sharing agreement.
Status: TacSat 2: Complete; satellite developed and demonstrated in
2006 through 2007;
Description:
* TacSat 2 development, led by the Air Force Research Laboratory, was
completed in 29 months at a cost of $39 million;
* Its payload includes tactical imaging and radio frequency equipment,
and an automated identification sensor;
* TacSat 2 was launched in December 2006 on a Minotaur I launch vehicle
and participated in military exercises during the summer of 2007;
* The Air Force Research Laboratory ended the demonstration in December
2007.
Status: TacSat 3: In progress; satellite expected to be launched in
August 2008;
Description:
* The Air Force Research Laboratory is leading the effort to develop
TacSat 3 which will provide the first implementation of selected bus
standards;
* Its primary payload is a hyperspectral imager for tactical targeting
of camouflaged and hard-to-detect targets;
* The cost is estimated to be $62.7 million, and the planned launch
date is August 2008 on a Minotaur I launch vehicle.
Status: TacSat 4: In progress; expected to be launched in September
2009;
Description:
* The Naval Research Laboratory is leading the effort to develop TacSat
4, which will include equipment to demonstrate mobile data
communications services, friendly forces tracking, and data relay from
terrestrial sensor;
* It will also evaluate the DOD system bus standards effort in a
realistic launch-and-flight operations environment;
* The cost is estimated to be $114 million, and the planned launch date
is September 2009 on a Minotaur IV launch vehicle.
Status: TacSat 5: In progress; launch date to be determined;
Description:
* The Army Space and Missile Defense Center, the Joint ORS Office, the
Air Force Research Laboratory, and Space and Missile Systems Center
will lead the development of TacSat 5;
* Payload experiments have not been finalized;
* The cost and schedule are to be determined.
Source: DOD data.
[End of table]
In addition, DOD is sponsoring the development of new capabilities
provided mostly by the small satellite industry. These efforts include
the ORS Payload Technology Initiative, which awarded 15 contracts to
satellite industry contractors for payload technology concepts that may
be developed in the future. The Air Force has been funding additional
research conducted by small technology companies that could provide ORS
capabilities, such as faster ways of designing satellites, and
identifying the types and characteristics of components based on
mission requirements.
Efforts to Develop and Test Satellite Interface and Bus Standards:
DOD is also working to establish standards for the "bus"--the platform
that provides power, attitude, temperature control, and other support
to the satellite in space.[Footnote 8] Establishing interface standards
for bus development would allow DOD to create a "plug and play"
approach to building satellites--similar to the way personal computers
are built. According to DOD officials, interface standards would allow
the development of modular or common components and would facilitate
building satellites--both small and large--more quickly and at a lower
cost. DOD's service laboratories, industry, and academia have made
significant progress to develop satellite bus standards. The service
labs expect to test some standardized components on the TacSat 3 bus
and system standards on the TacSat 4 bus. Table 3 provides a
description of the bus standardization efforts and their status.
Table 3: Status of Efforts to Develop and Test Satellite Interface and
Bus Standards:
Status: Demonstrate "plug and play" architecture: In progress;
Description:
* The Air Force Research Laboratory is demonstrating capabilities of a
"plug and play" architecture that accelerates satellite production
through the use of standardized computer-like ports to connect
standardized components;
* For example, the Air Force Research Laboratory is developing standard
bus panels with an embedded wiring system and standard ports for easy
assembly and integration.
Status: Determine class of ORS satellites needed: Complete; report
issued in March 2005;
Description:
* This effort, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln
Laboratory, determined the class of satellite needed to be militarily
useful.
Status: Develop interface standards, and develop TacSat 3 bus: In
progress;
Description:
* This effort, being led by the Air Force Research Laboratory, is to
provide interface standards between the bus and the payload, and to
rapidly provide a bus for the TacSat 3 hyperspectral payload
experiment.
Status: Develop bus standards for initial blocks of operational
satellites, and transition plan: In progress;
Description:
* This effort, being led by the Naval Research Laboratory and the John
Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, is using a broad
consortium of industry and government members to develop bus standards
along with the associated costs and business considerations for
acquisition;
* The consortium is also working to develop a plan that explains how to
transition from a science and technology environment to an acquisition
phase. The transition plan is in final coordination within DOD.
Status: Acquire initial standardized satellite buses: Slated to begin
after bus standards have been developed;
Description:
* This effort, to be carried out by the Joint ORS Office, will be the
acquisition of the initial block of standard satellite buses.
Source: DOD data.
[End of table]
Launch Infrastructure:
To get new tactical space capabilities to the warfighter sooner, DOD
must secure a small, low cost launch vehicle on demand. Current
alternatives include Minotaur launch vehicles, ranging in cost from
about $21 million to $28 million, and an Evolved Expendable Launch
Vehicle--DOD's primary satellite launch vehicles--at an average cost of
roughly $65 million (for medium and intermediate launchers). DOD is
looking to small launch vehicles, unlike current systems, that could be
launched in days, if not hours, and whose cost would better match the
small budgets of experiments. Both DOD and private industry are working
to develop small, low cost, on-demand launch vehicles. Notably, DOD
expects the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) FALCON
launch program to flight-test hypersonic technologies and be capable of
launching small satellites such as TacSats. In addition to securing low
cost launch vehicles, DOD plans to acquire a more responsive, reliable,
and affordable launch tracking system to complement the existing launch
infrastructure. Table 4 describes DOD's efforts to develop a launch
infrastructure and their status.
Table 4: Efforts to Develop a Launch Infrastructure:
Status: Develop low cost launch vehicles through DOD's FALCON program:
In progress;
Description:
* DARPA, along with the Air Force, established FALCON, to accelerate
efforts to develop a vehicle that can send 1,000 pounds to low-earth
orbit for less than $5 million with an operational cost basis of 20
flights per year for 10 years;
* DARPA contracted with Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to
develop a two-stage vehicle for launches into space. According to DOD,
SpaceX completed its activity for the FALCON program with a test launch
of their rocket in March 2007;
* For fiscal year 2008, the Appropriations conferees encouraged ORS to
continue to work with the FALCON program to develop a small launch
vehicle. Another SpaceX flight demonstration is expected to occur in
mid 2008;
* According to DARPA, between fiscal years 2003 and 2007, it provided
SpaceX with a total of more than $15.6 million dollars for advanced
technology development, facilities, test-range and mission support, and
program office support.
Status: Develop new launch vehicle capabilities through the Air Force
Research Laboratory: In progress;
Description:
* The Air Force Research Laboratory continues its work on spacecraft
payload shock protection and noise reduction technologies during
launch;
* The laboratory has developed technologies to reduce vibration in
launch vehicles that have been used on the Minotaurs;
* The laboratory has also funded science and technology research on
solid rocket motors.
Status: Develop other elements that support responsive launch systems:
In progress;
Description:
* In September 2006, the DOD Executive Agent for Space signed a
memorandum stating that by January 1, 2011, all DOD, civil, and
commercial vehicles launched will need to be tracked through use of the
Global Positioning System.[A] The DOD Executive Agent for Space sees
this as the first logical step towards a space-based control system
that is more responsive, reliable, and affordable than the current
terrestrially based system.
Source: DOD data.
[A] The Global Positioning System is a space-based radio-positioning
system nominally consisting of a 24-satellite constellation providing
navigation and timing data to military and civilian users worldwide.
[End of table]
ORS Challenges Magnified by Lack of a Plan to Guide Investments and
Efforts:
DOD faces several challenges in succeeding in its ORS efforts. With
relatively modest resources, the Joint ORS Office must quickly respond
to the warfighter's urgent needs, including gaps in capabilities, as
well as continue its longer-term research and development efforts that
are necessary to help reduce the cost and time of future space
acquisitions. As the office negotiates these priorities, it will need
to coordinate its efforts with a broad array of programs and agencies
in the science and technology, acquisition, and operational
communities. Historically it has been difficult to transition programs
initiated in the science and technology environment to the acquisition
and operational environment. At this time, DOD lacks tools which would
help the program office navigate within this environment--primarily, a
plan that lays out how the office will direct its investments to meet
current operational needs while at the same time pursuing innovative
approaches and new technologies.
The Joint ORS Office has a budget totaling about $646 million for
fiscal years 2008 through 2013 and with no more than 20 government
staff. These resources are relatively modest when compared with the
resources provided major space programs. For example, the ORS fiscal
year 2008 budget represents less than 12 percent of the budget of the
Transformational Satellite Communications System program[Footnote 9]
which is in the concept development phase, and staffing is about a
quarter of that program's staff. While the Joint ORS Office's
responsibilities are not the same as those of large, complex
acquisition programs, it is expected to address urgent tactical needs
that have not been met by the larger space programs. At this time, for
example, the office has been asked to develop a solution to meet
current communications shortfalls that cannot be met by the current
Ultra High Frequency Follow-On satellite system.[Footnote 10] And,
while the office has not yet been asked, officials have told us that
ORS could potentially satisfy a gap in early missile warning
capabilities because of delays in the Space Based Infrared Systems
program, as well as gaps in communications and navigation capabilities.
Taking on any one of these efforts will be challenging for ORS as there
are constraints in available technologies, time, money, and other
resources that can be used to fill capability gaps.
At the same time, the Joint ORS Office will be pressured to continue to
sponsor longer term research and development efforts. According to the
Air Force Research Laboratory, the average cost of a small satellite is
about $87 million. This is substantially higher than the target
acquisition cost of about $40 million for an integrated ORS satellite
in the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act.[Footnote 11] In
addition, concerns are being expressed that not enough funding and
support are being devoted to acquiring low cost launch capabilities.
Some government and industry officials believe that achieving such
capabilities is a linchpin to reducing satellite development costs in
the future. The current alternatives for launching ORS satellites--an
Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle and Minotaur launch vehicles--do not
meet DOD's low cost goal. DARPA expects its responsive launch
capabilities, currently in development, will total about $5 million to
produce--a significantly lower cost than that of current capabilities.
However, in order to achieve the lower cost launch capability, DOD will
have to continue to fund research beyond the $15.6 million already
spent on advanced technology development, facilities, test-range and
mission support, and program office support.
To execute both its short-and long-term efforts, the Joint ORS Office
will also need to gain cooperation and consensus from a diverse array
of officials and organizations. These include science and technology
organizations, the acquisition community, the U.S. Strategic Command,
the intelligence community, and industry. We have previously reported
on difficulties DOD has encountered in bringing these organizations
together, particularly when it comes to setting requirements for new
acquisitions and transitioning technologies from the science and
technology community to acquisition programs. As a new and relatively
small organization, the Joint ORS Office may well find it does not have
the clout to gain cooperation and consensus on what short-and long-term
projects should get the highest priority.
Despite the significant expectations placed on the Joint ORS Office and
the challenges it faces, DOD does not have an investment plan to guide
its ORS decisions. DOD has begun to develop an ORS strategy that is to
identify the investments needed to achieve future capabilities.
However, the strategy is not intended to become a formalized investment
plan that would (1) help DOD identify how to achieve these
capabilities, (2) prioritize funding, and (3) identify and implement
mechanisms to enforce the plan. At the same time, there are other
science and technology projects in DOD's overall space portfolio
competing for the same resources, including those focused on
discovering and developing technologies and materials that could
enhance U.S. superiority in space. Further, as DOD's major space
acquisition programs continue to experience cost growth and schedule
delays, DOD could be pressured to divert funds from ORS. We have
previously recommended that DOD prioritize investments for both its
acquisitions and science and technology projects--the ORS plan could be
seamlessly woven into an overall DOD investment plan for space.
However, DOD has yet to develop this overall investment plan.
Conclusions:
Providing the warfighter with needed space capabilities in a fiscally
constrained and rapidly changing technological environment is a
daunting task. ORS provides DOD with a unique opportunity to work
outside the typical acquisition channels to more quickly and less
expensively deliver these capabilities. However, even at lower costs,
pressure on ORS funding will come in DOD's competition for its
resources. As DOD moves forward, decisions on using constrained
resources to meet competing demand will need to be made and reevaluated
on a continuing basis. Until DOD develops an investment plan, it will
risk forgoing an opportunity to get continuing success out of the ORS
initiative.
Recommendation for Executive Action:
To better ensure that DOD meets the ORS initiative's goal, we recommend
that the Secretary of the Air Force develop an investment plan to guide
the Joint ORS Office as it works to meet urgent needs and develops a
technological foundation to meet future needs. The plan should be
approved by the stakeholders and identify how to achieve future
capabilities, establish funding priorities, and identify and implement
mechanisms to ensure progress is being achieved.
Agency Comments:
We provided a draft of this report to DOD for review and comment. DOD
concurred with our findings and our recommendation but clarified that
the Secretary of the Air Force, specifically the Executive Agent for
Space, would be responsible for developing an investment plan since the
Under Secretary of the Air Force position is vacant. Full comments can
be found in appendix I.
Scope and Methodology:
To assess DOD's progress to date in implementing its ORS goal and
addressing associated challenges, we interviewed and reviewed documents
from officials in Washington, D.C., at the Office of the Deputy Under
Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts; National
Security Space Office; Office of the Director of Defense Research and
Engineering; Office of the Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation;
Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the U.S. Naval Research
Laboratory; and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for
Research, Development and Acquisition. We also interviewed and reviewed
documents from officials in Virginia at the Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Networks Information and Integration; Office
of the Under Secretary of the Air Force; Defense Advanced Research
Project Agency; and U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. In
addition, we interviewed and reviewed documents from officials at the
Navy Blossom Point Satellite Tracking Facility in Maryland; Air Force
Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; Space and Missile
Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California; the U.S.
Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; and the Air Force
Research Laboratory and Joint Operationally Responsive Space Office,
Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. We also interviewed officials from
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C.,
and industry representatives involved in developing small satellites
and commercial launch vehicles. We reviewed and analyzed the documents
that we received.
We will send copies of the letter to the Department of Defense and
other interested congressional committees. We will also make copies
available to others upon request. In addition, the report will be
available at no charge on the GAO Web site at [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov].
Should you or your staff have any questions on matters discussed in
this report, please contact me at (202) 512-4859 or chaplainc@gao.gov.
Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public
Affairs may be found on the last page of this report. Principal
contributors to this report were Art Gallegos, Assistant Director;
Maria Durant; Jean Harker; Arturo Holguin; and Karen Sloan.
Signed by:
Cristina Chaplain:
Director:
Acquisition and Sourcing Management:
[End of section]
Appendix I: Comment from the Department of Defense:
Office Of The Assistant Secretary Of Defense:
Networks And Information Integration:
6000 Defense Pentagon:
Washington, DC 20301-6000:
Ms. Christina T. Chaplain:
Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management:
Government Accountability Office:
441 G Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20548:
Dear Ms. Chaplain:
The Department of Defense (DoD) concurs with the GAO Draft Report. GAO-
08-516, 'Space Acquisitions: DoD Is Making Progress to Rapidly Deliver
Low Cost Space Capabilities. but Challenges Remain,' dated March 14,
2008 (GAO Code 120648). For clarification, the investment plan should
be worked by the DoD Executive Agent for Space, currently the Secretary
of the Air Force, and not the Under Secretary of the Air Force as that
position is vacant. Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment
on this report.
Sincerely.
Signed by:
Steven M. Huybrechts:
Director. Space Programs and Policy:
[End of section]
Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:
Contact:
Cristina Chaplain (202) 512-4859 or chaplainc@gao.gov:
Acknowledgments:
In addition, key contributors to the report include Maria Durant, Art
Gallegos, Jean Harker, Arturo Holguin, and Karen Sloan.
[End of section]
Footnotes:
[1] GAO, Space Acquisitions: DOD Needs a Departmentwide Strategy for
Pursuing Low-Cost, Responsive Tactical Space Capabilities, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-449] (Washington, D.C.: Mar.
14, 2006).
[2] The John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2007, Pub. L. No. 109-364, § 913(c) (2006).
[3] GAO, Defense Space Activities: National Security Space Strategy
Needed to Guide Future DOD Space Efforts, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-431R] (Washington, D.C.: Mar.
27, 2008).
[4] Department of Defense, Quadrennial Defense Review Report (September
2001).
[5] GAO, Space Acquisitions: Improvements Needed in Space Systems
Acquisitions and Keys to Achieving Them, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-626T] (Washington, D.C.: Apr.
6, 2006).
[6] GAO, Best Practices: Stronger Practices Needed to Improve DOD
Technology Transition Processes, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-
bin/getrpt?GAO-06-883] (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 14, 2006).
[7] Existing systems have been designed for longer life and increased
reliability, requiring years to develop and a significant investment of
resources.
[8] Satellites primarily consist of the payload and the bus. Currently,
DOD's buses are custom-made for each space program.
[9] The Air Force's Transformational Satellite Communications System is
expected to provide high data rate military satellite communications
services to DOD users.
[10] This system is expected to be replaced by the Navy's Mobile User
Objective System.
[11] The John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2007, Pub. L.No. 109-364 § 913(b)(1)(2006)(codified at 10 U.S.C. §
2273a(e)(5)).
[End of section]
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