CHIRP diagram, courtesy of SES GS
CHIRP is a technology maturation and risk reduction experiment to collect real-world wide field-of-view infrared data, investigate spacecraft-sensor interactions and sensor behavior in the space environment, explore relevant operational issues, and evaluate long-term suitability of commercially hosted payloads. These sensors are applicable to missile warning/defense, technical intelligence, and battlespace awareness missions and allow for increased performance with a simplified design. The CHIRP team is a government-industry collaboration led by the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Development Planning Directorate. SES Government Solutions is the CHIRP prime contractor, with Orbital Sciences Corporation as the host spacecraft manufacturer and payload integrator. Science Applications International Corporation developed the payload.
