SCHOOL THESIS

Later, because of growing concerns these BMEWS radars were unable to observe
actual Soviet launches occurring far beyond the Earth’s horizon, the U.S. began
developing its own missile technology to orbit successive generations of early warning
satellites capable of immediately detecting any ICBM launch occurring around the globe.
Space-based early warning progressed from the nascent “Missile Defense Alarm
System” (MIDAS) system developed in the 1960s, to the more capable “Defense Support
Program” (DSP) series of satellites employed during the 1970s to 1990s, to the current
“Space-Based Infrared System” (SBIRS) series of satellites first launched in the 2000s.
(See Figure 4.)
Figure 4. SBIRS Space-Based Warning Satellite 9
9 Lockheed Martin Corp, “Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS),” accessed 19 Dec 2014,
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/sbirs.html.
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