U.S. Air Force defends big satellite contract

[lovuian]

http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=basicIndustries&storyID=nN31160912

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - A top U.S. Air Force official on Tuesday defended a decision to award a $2.1 billion contract to Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) for the backbone of a space-based satellite network, even though Congress has slashed funding for the satellites the network will link.

Brig. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, program director for the military's joint satellite communications office, said the new Lockheed system would play a key role in giving warfighters access to satellite communications even if the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) was revamped.

Pawlikowski said she expected adjustments to the TSAT program in the Pentagon's budget proposal for fiscal 2007 that starts Oct. 1, but it was premature to give details ahead of Monday's release of the new administration budget proposal.

"The need to integrate the space segment is going to exist regardless of what that space system looks like," she told reporters on a conference call.

more...
We are just a bottomless money pit!!!

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. This will probably be canceled by the end of the year

They didn't get around to that part yet.