The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a budget for the Pentagon’s proposed space-based sensor layer to detect and track high-speed threats from Earth’s orbit, C4ISRNet reported Thursday. Funding for the project was added to the panel’s version of the $750 billion National Defense Authorization Act for 2020, which now heads to the full Senate for confirmation.Â
In March, the Missile Defense Agency told lawmakers that it marked the sensor layer as its top priority that lacked funding. Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, director of MDA, said the space infrastructure would include two constellations of satellites that will serve different roles. One system will track ballistic missiles, while the other will focus on hypersonic missiles.
“The threat is moving fast and faster, and the reason I include it as my top priority in the unfunded list is that I believe that as time is the enemy, let’s not waste it, and if additional funding is provided, that’s where it would go,” Greaves said.Â
DoD did not include extra funding for sensor layer in it’s formal budget request for FY20.Â
