Phone Number: Postage Address: 300 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 2000, El Segundo, Ca.

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1 Name of Program: 3 rd Generation InfraRed System/Commercially Hosted InfraRed Program Name of Program Leader: Space and Missile Systems Center s (SMC s) Mr. Douglas L. Loverro and Science Applications International Corporation s (SAIC s) Mr. Thomas Tav Taverney Phone Number: thomas.d.taverney@saic.com Postage Address: 300 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 2000, El Segundo, Ca Name of Customer Representative: Douglas Loverro Phone Number: Douglas.Loverro@losangeles.af.mil Bio for program leader: Mr. Douglas L. Loverro, a member of the Defense Intelligence Sr. Executive Service, is the Executive Director, Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), Air Force (AF) Space Command, Los Angeles AF Base, Ca. He is the senior civilian executive and principal assistant to the commander. His responsibilities include AF research, design, development and acquisition of space launch, command and control, and satellite systems. Mr. Loverro was the key government champion for CHIRP. His belief that this program could/would succeed kept the team working and focused. Mr. Loverro is credited with a wide-ranging list of accomplishments including the invention of the supersonic chemical oxygen-iodine laser, now the heart of the AF s Airborne Laser; initiation of the AF s Global Broadcast Service; and establishment of the foundation for the modernization all Global Positioning Systems. In Nov. 2002, the Under Secretary of the AF selected Mr. Loverro to lead the Future Imagery Architecture Program, the nation s largest-ever space system development. In Feb. 2006, he retired from active duty upon selection as a member of the Defense Intelligence Sr. Executive Service. He assumed his current role in Jan Mr. Thomas Tav Taverney is SAIC Dir. of Space Systems Programs. A true citizen soldier, he served both the AF and the civilian aerospace industry. On 3GIRS/CHIRP, his deep technical understanding of the sensor and the challenges associated with building it, and his skills at addressing technical challenges and developing solutions were instrumental in the success of the program. This was particularly true for the sensor development with its tight schedule and budget. Mr. Taverney communicated succinctly with AF decision makers to break down/solve technical barriers. He passionately supported the rideshare concept to reduce the cost of space systems. Mr. Taverney has extensive engineering design/development expertise. He served as PM of numerous space systems developments, designed/developed space payloads; developed ground telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) software; performed hand-on TT&C of space systems; and launched rockets. Mr. Taverney was the commander responsible for bringing evolved expendable launch vehicles to operational status. In 2010, Mr. Taverney was inducted into the Space Operations Hall of Fame AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 3

2 Phase I Program Narrative - 1 The Challenge: By Nov. 2008, it was apparent that budget challenges were going to put significant cost pressure on DoD space system acquisitions at a time when the U.S. government was increasingly reliant on space capabilities. The challenge was to find a way to continue providing the best capability from space while significantly lowering the cost. SAIC and the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), in partnership with SES World Skies (SES), Orbital Sciences Corp. and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) took on this challenge with the 3 rd Generation InfraRed System/Commercially Hosted InfraRed Program (3GIRS/CHIRP). At the heart of the program was an innovative Wide Field Of View (WFOV) staring sensor that advanced the state-of-the-art in Overhead Persistent InfraRed (OPIR) systems and promised to provide a truly unique, first-of-a-its-kind technical demonstration for the Air Force. A WFOV system has the advantage of being able to stare at a large geographic area without the need for complex steering mechanisms. This enables simpler, lighter weight payloads to be delivered on relatively short schedules for very reasonable cost. The 3GIRS/CHIRP program reduced program costs even further by introducing a commercial rideshare approach to deliver the sensor to orbit, eliminating the need to develop a dedicated spacecraft bus and its associated launch to get the capability to orbit. However, utilizing a commercial rideshare for a military payload was not without its own challenges. In addition to solving the challenges associated with the development of the new, ground-breaking WFOV staring sensor technology, the 3GIRS/CHIRP team simultaneously broke new ground as the first commercially-hosted military payload on a commercial satellite. Among the key challenges that the team had to overcome in this area were the design and development of payload mechanical, thermal, and electrical accommodations; the development of physical and data security systems and equipment; and the implementation of a program management approach that ensured the 3GIRS/CHIRP payload would fit into a commercial spacecraft without impacting the primary mission of that spacecraft. The Innovative Product: The SAIC 3GIRS/CHIRP team solved the complex sensor and flight electronics development challenges in two years. For this truly innovative first-of-a-kind sensor, the team developed high-speed, space-flight-qualified electronics and innovative on-board software to control the sensor and process the data from the focal plane. The resulting sensor is simpler, lighter, requires lower power, and is easier to build than current scanning systems. The on-board software enables the addition or subtraction of image frames in order to see dimmer targets and reduce false alarms. Staring also provides true persistence (i.e., the sensor sees everything within its field of view, all of the time), a very desirable performance attribute. This experimental sensor will reduce risk for the next generation of infrared systems, which is increasingly important as the Air Force moves to more disaggregated architectures. Program Management Techniques Employed: This program is a case study of using highly qualified staff, industry best practices, and innovation first techniques to achieve success. For almost 40 years, SAIC has a proven history of successfully delivering complex space-based sensor systems economically and within short delivery schedules. To accomplish this, SAIC s 3GIRS/CHIRP team employed a program management system that emphasized the use of a lean team of the best engineers and technicians in each specialty area. 3GIRS/CHIRP team members 2012 AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 4

3 Phase I Program Narrative - 2 were empowered to control their areas of responsibility and were experienced in working together in this environment. Each member had the authority to make decisions, procure required materials quickly, and utilize SAIC s extremely qualified specialty subcontractors (with relationships cultivated over years) to produce very accurate analyses/results in a short period of time. This community of expert support enables the team to produce superb advanced technology systems while being competitive and extremely responsive, especially schedule responsive, which was a necessity for the success of this program. The SAIC team also sent technical support to government test labs to oversee/protect the sensor even though the labs were not under contract to SAIC. SAIC, SMC, The Aerospace Corp., and AFRL developed a very tight team-oriented approach, which helped to streamline the test flow, minimize down time in trying to reach decisions, and minimize schedule delays. The team used structured processes to troubleshoot problems and resolve them early. It employed a Skunk Works -type approach to rapidly develop solutions to all problems. The Air Force implemented an agile, integrated approach to managing the 3GIRS/CHIRP program and worked hand-in-hand with the SAIC engineers on the front line of development and test, forming a tightly integrated team. This team worked together to solve numerous technical challenges with rapid problem definition, analysis, and decision making. To manage challenging, low-cost leading-edge systems, SAIC employs a proven set of techniques that emphasizes: (a) implementing a management approach that ensures the right resources are applied to the right technical challenges at the right time; (b) developing the risk register early, updating it frequently, and managing the program with risk as the focal point; (c) actively managing critical/near-critical path activities; (d) providing a tightly collaborative environment that allows all engineers to work interfaces daily; (e) having a strong systems engineering team that is involved from the beginning through delivery; (f) having processes for early control, definition, and management of interfaces; (g) conducting a weekly look at activities, accomplishment, and work schedule to assure that the program does not fall behind in critical areas; (h) designating a hands-on program manager (PM) who interfaces with all engineering specialties daily; (i) utilizing strong program control support so that the PM knows where the program is with regards to performance measurement (earned value), cost, and schedule at all times; (j) providing early integration of the on-board and ground software teams with the payload builders; (k) providing software developers with the resources to do their jobs, and integrating them into the systems engineering organization early; (l) delivering user documentation early to obtain user involvement and avoid surprises later; (m) implementing rapid procurement practices and active management of long-lead components; (n) integrating QA and QC into the assembly processes; (o) maximizing the test as you fly mentality, and finally; (p) having a crisp definition of contract requirements that contribute to delivering the product and nothing more. One key to the 3GIRS/CHIRP team success is attracting/retaining the high-performance team members necessary. SAIC has found that the best engineers want to work with the best engineers; and that by completing programs in three years or less allows these engineers to see the work they have completed fly. This also attracts the best AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 5

4 Phase I Program Narrative - 3 Game-Changing Accomplishments: The team had to quickly break new ground in sensor technology and on-board data processing, while addressing the inherent challenges of being the first to integrate a military payload onto a commercial host without impacting the primary mission of that spacecraft. The 3GIRS/CHIRP program demonstrated how the U.S. government can take advantage of commercial satellites to enhance capabilities, allow for more rapid insertion of technology, increase the resilience of the constellations they fly, and do so while reducing cost and schedule. By rapidly building payloads with lower weight and lower power requirements and by utilizing the commercial rideshare approach, the DoD can more costeffectively provide space capability to its many users. With 200 commercial launches anticipated over the next 10 years, the 3GIRS/CHIRP program success proves there is great potential for flexibility in terms of launch dates, orbital slots, and cost saving for many military applications. The sensor development, including solving the complex and challenging electronics requirements, was accomplished in two years, and the payload was launched into space in just over three years, and began operating days after getting to its orbital slot. The utilization of best program management practices made all of this possible. Teachable Lessons Learned: This program identified numerous teachable lessons in program execution. The most obvious is that it is possible to fly a DoD payload on a commercial bus, and that this can be done quickly and economically. In 2009, while the government was trying to execute short-development-time missions, many did not believe it was possible to get a leadingedge-technology payload developed and into space in a short time period. With the correct tailored processes (Class B/C/D) and shorter lifetimes, and with the technical oversight experts becoming integral parts of the team rather than just reviewing products, schedules that were once thought to be impossible can indeed be accomplished. Clearly with the proper set of practices and procedures, it is possible to: Advance technology in an affordable way One key element is to enable the construction of a flexibility system that may be used for different functions with only minor design changes Disaggregate missions in an intelligent way, such as utilizing various methods of going to space (e.g., use rideshares, dedicated commercial buses, and dedicated custom buses) Design systems with open data architectures that enable data sharing between systems and customization for different missions Use low-cost technology demonstrations to advance the technology readiness level of systems in an affordable fashion, and to identify the next steps (more technology demonstrations) to reduce risks BEFORE moving to an operational program of record Among the critical lessons learned that can be applied on future systems: The commercial space industry is robust and high quality, with plug-and-play buses that are flexible, and highly reliable The DoD is able to utilize robust long-life commercial host buses (with greater than 10-year life cycles) with no development risk to the mission It is possible not only to fly mature payloads, but also with the proper planning to manifest a developing payload and still fly it very quickly 2012 AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 6

5 Phase I Program Narrative - 4 Military security can be accommodated inside a commercial rideshare model; and it is possible to accomplish this in a two-to-three year cycle While commercial satellites have some constraints with regards to their primary mission, there is huge flexibility that exists to accommodate a rideshare payload With proper planning and by using the flexibility of this model, DoD imperatives can be accommodated within a commercial business case The cost savings in a commercial rideshare are significant this program was completed for $82M firm fixed price to fly a payload that cost $28M to develop; real savings came from utilizing accommodations-only on a bus that was already being built and from having to bear only a fraction of the launch costs The commercial community operates comfortably in a firm fixed price environment Resiliency and survivability are significantly enhanced with (a) the large size of commercial constellations available for rideshares, (b) dependency of the global community on the commercial communications world, and (c) increased constellation robustness/resiliency By utilizing a commercial bus, SPO can focus on payload and payload processing and commanding, significantly reducing technical, cost, and schedule risk Lessons learned from an Air Force perspective: Decouple payload development from the rideshare until the payload is about six months to a year from completion; the commercial community operates on a two-year development cycle, and the federal government/military program needs to fit in to that cycle Assure all interfaces (e.g., power, thermal, downlink, stability) are well understood before constructing the payload accommodation Pay attention to the contracting; allow for a back-up ride in case of delays Plan options for extending operations as a payload lasts longer than its designed life While commercial buses are very stable, it is still important to get models and incorporate them into the performance modeling Given the path-finding nature of CHIRP, the Development Planning Directorate is gathering invaluable lessons learned on these technologies and commercial hosting. U.S. Air Force Command Press Release, 3 Nov Imagine hosting such a sensor across a range of defense, commercial, and allied satellites, to provide broad, resilient coverage at reasonable cost. Ambassador Greg Schulte, Deputy Assist. Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, Speech to Hosted Payload Summit, 4 Oct Another potential way to save money is through the hosted payload concept One recent example is the commercially hosted infrared payload, CHIRP... This infrared sensor is hitching a ride on a commercial satellite and it s a pathfinder for this concept of hosted payloads. We ve had great progress on this program with the sensor, but also with the hosted payload concept in general This could be a very attractive way forward. Gen. William Shelton, Speech to AFA Conference, 20 Sept CHIRP is the perfect demonstration of leveraging technology to solve the nation s toughest problems and realizing savings never imagined. This is the world of hosted payloads at its best. John Jumper, SAIC Chief Executive Officer, 4 Apr AVIATION WEEK PROGRAM EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE 7