Satellite Control Capabilities

National Policy Could Help Consolidation and Cost Savings Gao ID: NSIAD-96-77 May 2, 1996

Satellite control relies on ground antennas to track satellites and collect satellite health and status data by telemetry as well as to command satellites to perform various functions. GAO has been reviewing space programs and activities within the Defense Department and intelligence community. This report discusses the potential for consolidating satellite control functions within the government.

GAO found that: (1) the defense, intelligence, and civil satellite control networks have little interoperability and do not effectively use the resources and facilities available to them; (2) efforts to study cost reductions that would result from combining satellite control networks have been largely unsuccessful; (3) a national satellite control policy that encourages interoperability and consolidation is needed; (4) in 1993, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) was established to coordinate science, space, and technology policies throughout the federal government; and (5) NSTC could encourage cost reduction in the satellite control networks through interoperability and consolidation.

Recommendations

Our 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.

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