The NRO is Busy, Busy, Busy

Busy hands are happy hands (within reason) I often say. Therefore, the NRO should have happy hands based on the two ops they have coming up. The link speculates about the NROL-32 and 49 missions which will ride on a pair of Delta IVs and are in the launch queue for October and January 2011 [...]

NRO Launch Schedule

While I’m not on the team that manages (or even reads) the NRO’s launch manifest, the fact their director has said they will launch several high-priority and high-priced satellites in the next 15 to 18 months is–based on history–a pretty bold prediction. Let’s see: “couple” means two; “several” means three or more, right?

Wrap It Up: We’ll Take Two Exquisite NRO Satellites

Space News reports  House leader Dutch Ruppersberger thinks House and Senate plans to approve “exquisite” electro-optical imaging capability is likely.  That effort would support the White House’s plan and is in conflict with Senators Bond and Feinstein who want a more commercial-based capability. Also dribbling out are a few details for the exquisite system which boost its [...]

America Needs Some Exquisite Satellites

Writing at Space News, Turner Brinton reports the NRO feels the intelligence community’s needs can only be met with some really good stuff.  “Some” in this case means two exquisite-type satellites. NRO Director Bruce Carlson’s assertion is that the GeoEye and DigitalGlobe type systems with their sub half-meter panchromatic resolution arent’ good enough for certain applications.  As [...]

Intelligence Authorization Bill Held Up by Spy Satellite Issue

It is somewhat befuddling how an NRO buy of satellites that are less expensive and less sophisticated can be reasonably called “untested and therefore riskier.” If you want to say it’s riskier because our security needs mandate we have a mix of satellites including some that provide exquisite capabilities which the Senate bill (and the [...]

Massive NRO Growth?

DoD Buzz reports on some of the fall-out of the DNI-directed Obering panel as it affects the NRO. Besides the options of 1) maintaining the status quo and 2) rewriting the NRO charter to give it all USAF and intel community space, there is a third option. The third option will be for the NRO [...]

Intel Lawmaker Urges NRO Fixes

Well, certainly no man-bites-dog story here, as the NRO has struggled mightily for the last decade or so. The story leads by describing the NRO as a builder of satellites. Please. They are a buyer of satellites. Industry builds them.

Fade To Black For The NRO?

Colin Clark at DoD Buzz reports on the most recent blue-ribbon panel to review the NRO. While the panel has compiled their results and presented them to Dennis Blair, the DNI, it will be interesting to see if they opt for revolution or evolution. Many of the panel’s members have deep ties to the NRO [...]