SBIRS is designed to provide the nation with greatly enhanced missile warning capabilities and support other vital mission areas simultaneously including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace characterization.
The software will provide for the necessary functionality of the payload's Pointing and Control Assembly (PCA), which operates the spacecraft's highly-sensitive staring and scanning sensors. The scanning sensor will provide for short revisit times over its full field of view, while the staring sensor will be used for step-stare or dedicated stare operations over smaller areas.
The software was delivered to Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Azusa, Calif., where it will be integrated with the Signal Processing Assembly (SPA), a key payload component that extracts the infrared "signal" from the background noise and clutter. The completed payload is scheduled to be delivered to Lockheed Martin's facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif., in mid-2007 for final spacecraft assembly, integration and test in preparation for launch in late 2008.