About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

GAO-02-403R 1 (2002-06-07)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaalzn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: i Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548 June 7, 2002 The Honorable Christopher Shays Chairman, Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans' Affairs, and International Relations Committee on Government Reform House of Representatives Subject: Space Surveillance Network: New Way Proposed To Support Commercial and Foreign Entities Dear Mr. Chairman: Government, commercial, and foreign entities rely almost exclusively on information generated by the United States space surveillance network to reduce the risk of space collisions when launching and operating their respective space missions. The network is maintained and operated by the U.S. Space Command within the Department of Defense (DOD);' surveillance data is processed and an unclassified portion is sent to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and made available by NASA to users. The subcommittee expressed concerns about the growing commercial and foreign demand for space surveillance information and asked us to determine how DOD is planning to provide space surveillance information in the future. In summary, we found that DOD has considered several options for providing this support. Currently, the Air Force Space Command is proposing a pilot study that would replace the current NASA arrangement with one using a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC).2 The study would test the FFRDC's ability to support commercial and foreign entities with space surveillance information and to ensure there is sufficient market for this data. The Air Force Space Command proposes to commence the pilot study in about 1 year, if approved by the Air Force and DOD and if authorizing legislation is enacted that includes providing space surveillance support to foreign and commercial entities as part of DOD's mission. In its written comments on a draft of this letter, DOD emphasized that the Air Force must resolve concerns 'The U.S. Space Command is supported by three component commands: Air Force Space Command (which provides the majority of the support); Navy Space Command; and Army Space Command. 2 FFRDC activities are sponsored under a broad charter by a government agency for the purpose of performing, analyzing, integrating, supporting, and/or managing basic or applied research and/or development; FFRDCs receive 70 percent or more of their financial support from the government; most or all of the facilities used for FFRDC activities are owned or funded by the government; and the FFRDC has special access to government data, employees, and facilities. GAO-02-403R Space Surveillance Network PagelI

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most