Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) in early April declared initial operational capability (IOC) for Increment 1 of the Joint Space Operations Center’s (JSpOC) Mission System (JMS) program.
Air Force spokeswoman Leslie Finstein said earlier this month JMS Increment 1 was delivered to JSpOC, located at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., in late October 2012 for its operational test and trial period. Finstein said following successful completion of operational test and trial events AFSPC chief Gen. William Shelton approved IOC on April 1.
Finstein said JMS Increment 2 began initial integration efforts in mid April and is scheduled to achieve IOC in 2016. JMS Increments 1 and 2 are expected to cost approximately $462 million, according to Finstein.
JSpOC provides notifications to governments and commercial satellite owner/operators of potentially hazardous conjunctions, or collisions, between orbiting objects. This provides the satellite owner/operators with information to decide whether to move a satellite to prevent a collision (Defense Daily, March 7, 2012).
JMS is a space command and control (C2) capability for the Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space (CDR JFCC SPACE), according to the federal government’s Information Technology (IT) Dashboard website. JMS is predominantly a software effort that will produce an integrated, net-centric service oriented architecture (SOA) and the necessary software applications to accomplish required missions.
Finstein said JMS Increment 1 addresses two key pieces of system architecture: the User-Defined Operational Picture (UDOP) and architectural elements allowing for a net-centric, service-oriented architecture. The advantages of this service, Finstein said, is that it allows for separate applications to be developed and installed individually after the initial system is operationally accepted, in a manner similar to Apple’s [AAPL] iPad/iPhone apps.
JMS Increment 2 is focused on replacing and improving the capabilities currently residing on the Space Defense Operations Center (SPADOC) legacy computer system, according to Finstein. This includes implementing a high-accuracy space catalog (objects being tracked), increasing catalog size (number of objects), improved conjunction assessment (warning of potential collisions) and improved event processing (maneuvers to avoid collisions) using a combination of existing commercial and government-developed software, Finstein said.
Finstein said JMS Increment 2 will deploy these new capabilities on Increment 1’s service oriented architecture and will display the results through the UDOP. Risk reduction efforts for Increment 2 have been underway since early 2012, Finstein said, and operational integration efforts for Increment 2 began in mid-April after receiving Milestone B approval.
JMS will help enhance and modernize space situational awareness (SSA) capabilities; create decision-relevant views of the space environment; and rapidly detect, track and characterize objects of interest and perform space threat analysis, among other capabilities. Finstein said there is no JMS prime contractor and that the government is serving as the integrator. The Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) based in San Diego is leading the integration effort under the direction of the Air Force JMS program office located at the service’s Space and Missile Systems Center (AFSMC) in Los Angeles, according to Finstein. JSpOC is run by U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM).
When JMS is completely fielded, the warfighter and command elements will benefit from a system that will provide SSA in a more proactive manner, allowing for the ability to visualize ongoing space events and react rapidly to preserve United States and allied on-orbit assets, Finstein said.
The Air Force said in a post on Federal Business Opportunities it awarded a $3.8 million contract in November to a.i. solutions for portions of the company’s FreeFlyer mission network. The Air Force also issued a second contract last November worth $6.1 million to Analytical Graphics for commercial software products that “uniquely” satisfy key elements within the JMS functional requirements documents, a software license and product support, according to a post on Federal Business Opportunities.