The DoD's Operationally Responsive Space office selected the Space and Missile Systems Center's Space Development and Test Wing, Kirtland AFB, N.M., to manage the development and fielding of the first ORS mission known as ORS Sat-1.

The SDTW's Responsive Space Squadron will lead the program office. Air Force Space Command stood up this squadron in 2007 specifically to respond to this class of missions.

The Goodrich Corporation, ISR Systems Division, Danbury, Conn., will manufacture and integrate the ORS Sat-1. The system will use existing airborne tasking, processing, exploitation and distribution systems. It will be put into orbit on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Minotaur launch vehicle.

ORS Sat-1 is designed to meet a critical U.S. Central Command intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance need.

The program will lay the groundwork for the ORS office to support critical warfighting needs meeting requirements to rapidly respond to urgent needs in space.

"ORS-Sat 1 will fill a warfighter gap and develop and exercise many of the key ORS enablers necessary for future ORS missions, such as enhanced small satellite performance, reduced launch schedule, open command and control system architecture, and timely dissemination of information to the warfighter using existing tactical networks," said Dr Peter Wegner, director, ORS office.

Specific mission information, capabilities, vulnerabilities or collected data are not releasable. However, the enablers being developed through the ORS Sat-1 mission will result in long-term payoffs in the development of operationally responsive capabilities.