Operationally Responsive Space - Meeting the Joint Force Commander's Needs

 Dr. Peter Wegner presented the conference with an update of the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program's activities during the previous 18 months. The National Space Policy of 2006 mandated the development of certain ORS capabilities by 2010, and several of these capabilities have been successfully demonstrated. For example, innovative solutions for hosting military payloads onboard commercial satellites have been proposed to meet the need for UHF communications capacity. There has been progress on rapid plug-and-play satellite construction and configuration - to demonstrate this, Dr. Wegner showed a time-lapse video of a small satellite being built in approximately four hours. On the launch front, the ORS office has worked with SpaceX to perform rapid launch preparation of the Falcon 1 rocket, proving that it is feasible to place a payload in orbit on short notice with current technology. These are some of the key processes that are being developed and demonstrated, and the ORS office is keen to make further progress in meeting its objectives.