{"id":28694,"date":"2020-12-23T19:18:51","date_gmt":"2020-12-23T19:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2020\/12\/23\/congress-provides-130-million-for-hypersonic-missile-warning-satellites\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:30:15","slug":"congress-provides-130-million-for-hypersonic-missile-warning-satellites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/space\/2020\/12\/23\/congress-provides-130-million-for-hypersonic-missile-warning-satellites\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress provides $130 million for hypersonic missile warning satellites"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Congress increased the Missile Defense Agency\u2019s budget by $130 million to fund a new satellite constellation capable of tracking hypersonic weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A satellites in low Earth orbit will provide targeting data for hypersonic weapons that are dimmer than traditional ballistics and can maneuver in flight, plugging a massive hole in the U.S. missile warning architecture<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers, who approved the appropriations package Dec. 21<\/a> by a majority wide enough to overcome a veto hinted at by President Donald Trump, had expressed concern throughout the year that the agency\u2019s budget does not include any funding to develop the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS)<\/a>. While MDA leadership did ask Congress to fund the constellation, seeking $108 million for HBTSS in its unfunded priority list, legislators communicated their confusion about why such a high priority program was not included in the agency\u2019s actual budget request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn particular, ongoing acquisition programs that were identified as high priority within MDA\u2019s architecture as recently as one year ago, such as the development of a space sensor for the tracking of hypersonic threats and ballistic missiles … have been removed from MDA\u2019 s budget, or underwent significant funding reductions,\u201d lawmakers wrote in comments on the plan. \u201cThe inconsistencies are concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t