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Future Imagery Architecture (FIA) was a program to design a new generation of optical and radar imaging US reconnaissance satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). In 2005 NRO director Donald Kerr recommended the project's termination, and the optical component of the program was finally cancelled in September 2005 by Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte. FIA has been called by ''The New York Times'' "perhaps the most spectacular and expensive failure in the 50-year history of American spy satellite projects." Despite the optical component's cancellation, the radar component, known as Topaz, has continued, with three satellites in orbit as of December 2013. ==History== In 1999 the development contract for FIA was awarded to a Boeing team, which underbid Lockheed Martin's competing proposal by about US$ 1 billion (inflation adjusted US$ }} billion in ).〔(Boeing's press release on winning the contract )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】) - Phase C"> url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/systems/fia-phase-c.htm )〕 By 2005, an estimated US$ 10 billion had been spent by the US government on FIA, including Boeing's accumulated cost overrun of US$ 4 to 5 billion,〔(【引用サイトリンク】) - 2005 Restructuring"> url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/systems/fia-2005.htm )〕 and it was estimated to have an accumulated cost of US$25 billion over the ensuing twenty years.〔Pae, Peter. "(Massive Spy-Satellite Program to Cost Billions )", ''LA Times'', March 18, 2001. Retrieved October 10, 2006.〕 In September 2005 the contract for the electro-optical satellites was shifted to Lockheed Martin because of the cost overruns and delays of the delivery date.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Future Imagery Architecture )〕 Lockheed was asked to restart production of KH-11 satellite system with new upgrades.〔 The contract for the imaging radar satellite remained with Boeing.〔 In September 2010 NRO director Bruce Carlson stated that while most NRO "(...) programs are operating on schedule and on cost (...)", one program is "(...) 700 percent over in schedule and 300 percent over in budget". The exact scope and mission of FIA are classified, although the head of the NRO said in 2001 that the project would focus on creating smaller and lighter satellites.〔Sullivan, Laura. "(A peek into secrets most jealously guarded )", ''Baltimore Sun'', September 8, 2001. Retrieved October 10, 2006.〕 Some industry experts believe that a key objective is to make the satellites more difficult to attack, possibly by placing them in higher orbits. Because of the large size of the program, as well as number of workers involved, some experts have compared it to the 1940s Manhattan Project.〔 In 2012 NRO donated two sophisticated but unneeded space telescopes, reportedly built for FIA, to NASA for use in astronomy. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Future Imagery Architecture」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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