Israel was largely successful in repelling the Iranian government’s missiles. The satellite early warning system SBIRS from the USA played a key role.
A loud bang, a big cloud of smoke and a long roar – most people have a general idea of what a rocket launch is like. Specifically, when the rocket takes off, a large amount of fuel is burned within a very short time – this is also the case when military intercontinental or short-range missiles are launched. This makes the process visible not only to people up close, but also to satellites orbiting at an altitude of several thousand kilometers. As does the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) from the USA, which is said to have demonstrated its capabilities in the Iranian attack on Israel. With the help of the system, the attack was largely repelled. This is reported by “Spiegel”.
“The US Space Force’s Space Based Infrared System program is primarily used for early warning and missile defense and consists of several satellites equipped with infrared sensors,” explains space expert Andrea Rotter from the Hanns University of Politics and Current Affairs. Seidel Foundation to “Spiegel”. Russia and China should also have such early warning systems.
Sidharth Kaushal, who researches missile defense at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) in London, says: “We don’t know in detail which capabilities were used.” But according to him, it makes sense to assume “that SBIRS was part of it. It is the key component of the US early warning system.”
Accordingly, the exhaust gases and heat of a rocket launch created a characteristic signature, as Kaushal explains to “Spiegel”. “And you can register this with an infrared sensor in space.”
The shortcoming of the early warning system
“SBIRS is particularly useful in ballistic missiles,” said Kaushal. Their flight altitude and speed are crucial. Cruise missiles can also be detected. Although they mostly travel with their jet engines, which are harder to detect, when they take off they are usually brought up to speed with a solid fuel engine – and that makes them visible.
A shortcoming of the SBIRS early warning system, however, is that it can only detect the launch of rockets. However, this does not provide any information about the possible destination. Although research is being carried out on such monitoring systems in space, ground radars currently provide even more reliable data and are therefore primarily needed. For this reason, advance warning satellites only make sense in conjunction with other military technology, says the missile expert.
The main focus is on Russia, Korea and the Middle East
The SBIRS system has a total of six satellites, with the last of the system being launched in 2022. Because the satellites are in geostationary orbit, the scouts seem to be standing in the sky and are constantly looking at the same corners of the world, as “Spiegel” reports. The main focus is probably parts of Russia, Korea and the Near and Middle East, which are observed by the satellites from a height of 36,000 meters.
The basic framework for the SBIRS system is provided by the A2100 platform from the aerospace company Lockheed Martin, which has already been used in many other commercial communications satellites. However, their resistance to radiation has been increased for special use in the military sector. In addition, the last two SBIRS satellites to be installed are also more robust against cyber attacks.
The sensors for short and medium infrared signals are the special feature of early warning systems. They are said to be able to detect a burning match from a distance of 300 kilometers.
Although the US early warning system is technically admirable, the real challenge lies in correctly interpreting the satellite data. These are sent to Earth in the form of raw data, with AI-generated suggestions made about which events are of high importance and which are of lower importance.
They offer “a fat, juicy target”
History shows that satellites offer a large attack surface because they can also be destroyed from the ground. Or as Joshua Huminski of George Mason University’s National Security Institute put it: They offer “a fat, juicy target.” This was proven, among other things, by controversial tests by China, Russia and the USA. “If you hit three SBIRS satellites, the early warning system is switched off,” says the expert. The alternative therefore offers a warning system made up of several small satellites. These could then be replaced more easily if they were fired.
