Discoverer II: a space architecture for information dominance

Discoverer II is a space-based SAR, GMTI and DTED demonstration expected to launch in mid FY04. It is a risk reduction effort on the path to a global constellation of similar radar surveillance satellites that will provide near instantaneous access to and constant surveillance of Areas of Interest almost anywhere on the globe. Like the ubiquitous surveillance camera at the local Quickmart, always monitoring the store and its occupants, a system such as Discoverer II can constantly monitor fixed and moving objects of interest in all weather, anytime and anyplace. The omnipresence of such a capability has the fundamental capacity to change how our adversaries behave and to fundamentally alter how the US will react to threats to our national security. On the battlefield, the information provided by this omnipresent God's eye view will enable precision maneuver and strike. Constant surveillance allows the battlefield commander to understand an adversary's intentions and neutralize them before they place US forces in harm's way. The precision strike that a Discoverer II system brings to the battlefield enables smaller and more mobile forces with an accompanying reduction in logistics. The information dominance it provides embodies the tenets of Joint Vision 2010 and helps make it a reality. Knowledge is power.