Senate Intelligence Committee Picks Small Sats

According to Congress Daily (subscription required), the Senate Intelligence Committee opted in favor of “smaller, cheaper spy satellites” instead of larger, more capable satellites favored by the Obama Administration during its markup of the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization bill last week. In a joint statement on July 17, committee chair Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and ranking member Kit Bond (R-MO), said only that the bill would “Provide a more capable and more affordable imagery satellite architecture.” Congress Daily adds the following from a statement by Senator Bond: “‘For years, billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on programs that haven’t worked,’ Bond said in a statement. ‘It’s better for our national security and our national debt to invest in more capable and affordable overhead programs.'”