In 2012, the National Academy of Sciences warned that a combination of budget pressure, program delays and a pair of launch failures in 2009 and 2011 left the United States facing a "rapid decline" in its capability to monitor land and seas from space.

CNN: NASA cheers new Landsat launch

The USNS Observation Island, a ship that uses telemetry to monitor objects in space, will collect information on the satellite both before and after the missile launch.

CNN: Attempt to shoot down spy satellite to cost up to $60 million