The ARTEMIS (Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer) program calls for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) to design and build a payload known as a hyper-spectral imaging sensor within 15 months as part of a rapid development experiment.

"The intent of the program is to help demonstrate the feasibility of the 'responsive-space' concept," said Dave Shingledecker, vice president for Strategic Systems. "Satellites would be launched on demand when needed, versus the current practice of maintaining an expensive fleet of long-life satellites in orbit."

In the responsive-space approach, satellites and their cargo would be kept in readiness in a holding facility where systems could be assembled and transported rapidly to a convenient launch site.

"Conceivably, a system could be mounted on a satellite, launched and in orbit some 200 miles above Earth within three to seven days of a request by a field commander," Shingledecker said.

Raytheon plans to employ commercial-off-the-shelf components and industry standard interfaces extensively in developing the system.

"We expect this approach will lead to an order-of-magnitude reduction in overall space mission costs," Shingledecker said.

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