Session TE31: UAVs
February 20, 9:00 - 9:45 UAVs the Roadmap to cost effective satellites
Abstract:
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and airships are under development with a plan to utilize network infrastructures that exist today based on satellites. Satellites are positioned at altitudes from 500 to 22,000 miles above the earth. While satellites offer a wide area of coverage, they are extremely expensive and most require pass over windows or orbital time slots, which means they cannot remain over a particular geographic area indefinitely. An entire constellation or network of satellites, therefore, is required to provide uninterrupted service to a desired coverage area. Due to their high altitude, satellites require a great deal more RF power to communicate with wireless units on the ground, which increases the size, weight and cost of handheld devices. Satellites are also extremely complex to design and very expensive to build and launch. Once a payload is launched on a satellite, it is generally considered to be non-recoverable, meaning that the payload only has a useful life span of that of the satellite, typically 5 to 15 years for LEO satellites. Due to the complex design requirements and advance lead time to deploy, technology that ultimately gets launched is often no longer state of the art.

Quick deployment and budgetary issue are the driving force behind the move to replace spy satellites with UAVs. The CIA has long had its own fleet of Predator UAVs, and now the NGA (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyses data, makes maps, etc.) and NRO (National Reconnaissance Office, which builds and operates spy satellites) want more UAVs as well. The sudden NRO enthusiasm for UAVs is driven partly by money problems. Congress is increasingly reluctant to provide billions of dollars for new satellites. For less than a tenth of what a space satellite costs, the NRO realized they could buy high flying UAVs (like Global Hawk) or the High Altitude Modular Airborne

Reconnaissance System or M.A.R.S.TM platforms and equip them with satellite grade sensors. These systems could provide the coverage they need without the expense of a spy satellite. There's a more practical reason as well, UAVs can provide persistent surveillance while satellites only come by each orbit. NGA can also get important data from a UAV that they cannot get from the more expensive satellites. In places like Afghanistan and Iraq, Eaves are cheaper, and more useful, than satellites.

During the 9-11 attacks, it became very clear that our systems of communications were inadequate for critical response. They quickly became overloaded or were taken out during the attack. Communications systems are a target of opportunity for terrorists. Without effective communications and ability to respond to crisis – our cities and first responders are left at a significant disadvantage and will be unable to effectively respond to the overwhelming need for services. M.A.R.S.TM Airships and UAVs will become a tool to remedy this potential problem, quickly restoring critical and vital communications systems. In addition, a byproduct of this technology is the formation of mobile "Cell Towers" for remote locations or overloaded systems, both for planned and unplanned events (Super bowl, New Years, other major events).

Speakers & Organizers