Atlas V Launch:

The fourth Block IIF GPS satellite, GPS IIF-4 is the sixty-fourth GPS satellite overall, and the first to launch on an Atlas since Navstar 11, also known as USA-10, in October 1985. That satellite, a the last Block I prototype satellite, was boosted into orbit by an Atlas E/F with an SGS-2 upper stage, flying from Space Launch Complex 3W at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Since then, launching GPS spacecraft has been left solely to Delta rockets, with the Delta II 6925 used for Block II launches, the Delta II 7925 for Block IIA, IIR and IIRM, and the Delta IV Medium+(4,2) for the three Block IIF launches to date.

GPS IIF-4 has Space Vehicle Number (SVN) 66. It will use PRN-27; a signal modulation previously used by USA-84, or GPS IIA-6 (SVN-27), a twenty-year-old satellite which was retired from service last October. IIF-4 will serve as a replacement for USA-117 in slot 2 of plane C of the GPS constellation.

Launched in March 1996 as GPS IIA-16, USA-117 is a Block IIA spacecraft which carries SVN-33, and uses PRN-03. Once IIF-4 replaces it, USA-117 will remain in service as a backup satellite, presumably moving to Slot 5 of its plane.

The GPS constellation consists of six planes, designated A to F, with six slots in each, numbered 1 to 6. Slots 1 to 4 contain operational satellites, with 5 and 6 housing reserve spacecraft. Plane C currently contains satellites in slots 1-4 and 6; two Block IIA spacecraft, one Block IIR, and two Block IIRMs. The most recent launch to plane C was GPS IIR-18(M) in December 2007.

Constructed by Boeing, Block IIF GPS satellites are expected to operate for twelve years, broadcasting signals at three different frequencies, including the L5 “Safety of Life” signal for civil aviation. The three Block IIF satellites launched to date, SVNs 62, 63 and 65, are operating in slots B2, D2 and A1 of the constellation respectively.

The Atlas V that launched GPS IIF-4 flew in the 401 configuration, with tail number AV-039. The launch was the thirty-eighth flight of the Atlas V, and the eighteenth flight of the 401 configuration.

The Atlas V consists of two stages; a Common Core Booster (CCB) and a Centaur. The CCB is powered by a single RD-180 engine, produced by NPO Energomash of Russia. It burns RP-1 propellant, oxidized by liquid oxygen.

The Centaur is powered by RL10A-4-2 engines burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen; one or two engines are present depending on mission requirements – for this launch the single-engine configuration will be used, as denoted by the one in the 401 designation. The zero indicates that no solid rocket motors will be used; up to five Aerojet SRMs can be attached to the first stage to augment thrust at liftoff, however for this flight none are necessary.

The four gives the diameter of the payload fairing, in meters. Four and five-meter fairings can be used, with three different lengths of each. The Long Payload Fairing (LPF), which despite its name is the shortest of the four-meter fairings, will be used on AV-039. The other two four-meter fairings, the Extended and Extra-Extended (EPF and XEPF) Payload Fairing, are 90 and 180 centimeters longer respectively.

AV-039 was assembled in the Vertical Integration Facility, which is located approximately half a kilometer to the southwest of the launch pad.

Rollout to the launch complex occurred on Wednesday, with the rocket departing the VIF atop a mobile platform shortly after 15:00 UTC, and arrived at the launch pad around 50 minutes later. It was the fifty-ninth rocket to launch from SLC-41, and the thirty-second Atlas V to do so.

Before the Atlas V was introduced in 2002, SLC-41 was a Titan launch complex. Twenty seven Titan rockets, including Titan IIIC, IIIE and IV configurations, flew from the pad between December 1965 and April 1999.

The last launch, a failed attempt to place a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite into geosynchronous orbit, was conducted by a Titan IV(402)B with an Inertial Upper Stage. Six months later the fixed and mobile service towers were demolished, and the complex was rebuilt to accommodate the Atlas. The majority of Atlas V launches use the pad.

The launch was conducted by United Launch Alliance (ULA). Formed in December 2006, ULA have taken over Atlas V construction from Lockheed Martin, and launch operations from International Launch Services. They are also responsible for constructing and launching Delta II and Delta IV rockets.

T-0 for Wednesday’s launch occurred at 21:38 UTC; which was the opening of an 18-minute window. At T-2.7 seconds, the RD-180 engine ignited and begin throttling up, reaching full thrust 4.2 seconds later. At T-0, the engine was ready for flight, and liftoff occurred 1.1 seconds later when the thrust generated by the first stage engine exceeded the weight of the rocket.

Following liftoff, AV-039 maneuvered to a 45.8 degree launch azimuth, and pitched over for its ascent into orbit. One minute and 18.4 seconds after launch, the rocket’s speed reached Mach 1, passing through the sound barrier and beginning supersonic flight.

A minute and a half into the mission, the RD-180 throttled down in preparation for passing through the area of maximum dynamic pressure, Max-Q, which occurred 90.5 seconds after launch.

The first stage burned for four minutes and 4.4 seconds before it was extinguished, an event known as Booster Engine Cutoff (BECO). Six seconds later, the spent Common Core Booster was jettisoned, and following a further ten seconds of unpowered flight, the Centaur ignited for the first of two burns – a flight milestone which was designated Main Engine Start 1 (MES-1).

Fairing separation occurred eight seconds after the Centaur ignites. The Centaur’s first burn lasted twelve minutes and 46.6 seconds, ending with Main Engine Cutoff 1 (MECO-1), as the flight entering an extended coast phase.

The coast phase lasted three hours, 30.7 seconds, before Main Engine Start 2 (MES-2) began another burn of the Centaur’s RL10 engine. This second burn, intended to circularize the vehicle’s orbit, lasted 89.3 seconds, with its end, MECO-2, marking the end of powered flight. Spacecraft separation occurred four minutes, 45.7 seconds later; at T+ three hours, 23 minutes and 52.8 seconds.

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The satellite separated into a circular orbit, at an altitude of 20,459 kilometers (12,713 statute miles, 11,047 nautical miles), and an inclination of 55 degrees to the equator.

Unlike earlier spacecraft, Block IIF GPS satellites are launched directly into their operational orbits, eliminating the need for each satellite to carry an apogee motor and the necessary fuel to raise itself out of a transfer orbit.

Wednesday’s launch was the fourth Atlas V mission of 2013, and the fourth launch of the year to be conducted by ULA. ULA’s next EELV launch is scheduled for 23 May, when a Delta IV will place the fifth Wideband Global Satcom spacecraft into orbit.

The next Atlas will fly on 19 July, when an Atlas V 551 will orbit the second MUOS communications satellite. The next GPS launch is expected to be in October, with a Delta IV lifting GPS IIF-5.

(Images via ULA).

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Atlas V Launch:

SBIRS GEO-2 is the second satellite in the Space-Based Infrared System, SBIRS, a US Air Force program to detect ballistic missile launches and provide the United States with advance warning of potential nuclear attacks.

Missile detection spacecraft originated in the days of the Cold War; SBIRS is a third-generation system, following on from the Missile Defense Alarm System and later Defense Support Program.

In the 1950s, the United States developed a series of ground-based radar systems to detect incoming Soviet missiles and bombers, culminating in the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), which became operational in 1959 and remains in use.

Ground-based systems are limited in range, however, and can only detect missiles when they are already close to their targets. To augment BMEWS, the US Air Force developed the Missile Defense Alarm System, or MIDAS.

MIDAS consisted of a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, using infrared sensors to detect missiles from their exhaust emissions. The first satellite was launched in February 1960, however it failed to achieve orbit due to a problem with its Atlas LV-3 Agena-A carrier rocket which occurred during first stage separation. A second satellite was launched three months later, but its communications system failed after less than a day in orbit.

The third satellite also operated for less than a day following its July 1961 launch; one of its solar panels failed to deploy, and the satellite quickly ran out of power. The next launch failed; a guidance problem resulted in MIDAS-4 being deployed into an incorrect orbit, and the Agena-B upper stage, which was integrated into the payload, ran out of RCS propellant trying to compensate. MIDAS-5 fared little better, suffering a complete loss of power within hours of launch.

After MIDAS-6 failed to achieve orbit, the seventh satellite was the first to compete a successful mission, detecting launches of American Atlas, Titan, Minuteman and Polaris missiles. MIDAS-8 failed to orbit, and MIDAS-9 was a partial failure, operating for only a few days after its solar arrays failed to deploy, but long enough to test its sensors, and detect both American and Soviet missile tests.

The last three satellites, designated the Research Test Series, were optimized to detect shorter-range missiles, including those launched from submarines.

MIDAS-10 was lost in another launch failure; its upper stage failed to restart leaving it in a useless orbit. MIDAS-11 and 12 were both successful, operating for a year each.

MIDAS-12, launched in October 1965, was the final satellite in the program. MIDAS was never used as an operational system; instead it demonstrated the technology which would later be used by the Defense Support System (DSP).

DSP, which was originally designated the Integrated Missile Early Warning System (IMEWS), was designed to use smaller numbers of satellites in higher orbits, compared to MIDAS.

In 1970 the first satellite, OPS 5960, was launched aboard a Titan III(23)C. Three more Block I DSPs followed. The first-generation satellites were designed to operate for 15 months each. Built by TRW, they had a mass of 900 kilograms (2,000 lb).

Following the fourth launch in 1973, DSP became fully operational. Replenishment launches, with Block II satellites, began in 1975. These satellites were more powerful, and ha nine months longer design life than the Block I.

Three standard Block II satellites were launched, followed by four Multi-Orbit Satellite/Performance Improvement Modification, or MOS/PIM, spacecraft with extra attitude control propellant and more power. The fourth MOS/PIM satellite was launched by a Titan III(34)D/Transtage, following the Titan III(23)C’s retirement with the third launch.

Two spare Block II satellites were retrofitted with sensors designed for the Block III satellites, to serve as a stopgap after Block III was delayed. Block III launches occurred between 1989 and 2007, using a variety of rockets; Three were launched by Titan IV(402)A rockets, five by Titan IV(402), one by Space Shuttle Atlantis with an Inertial Upper Stage during STS-44, and a Delta IV Heavy for the final launch following the Titan IV’s retirement.

Two of the Block III satellites failed. The sixth satellite, launched in April 1999, was lost when the upper and lower stages of the Inertial Upper Stage, which was part of the Titan IV(402)B configuration, failed to separate.

When the upper stage ignited, the satellite was left out of control in an unusable orbit. Despite being unable to complete its mission, the satellite was used until 2008 for research into the Van Allen belts.

The other failure was of the last satellite to be launched, USA-197, which ceased to function after ten months in service. The US Air Force have not released any details on the cause or nature of the malfunction, however following the satellite’s failure the MiTEx satellites visited USA-197 to inspect it and attempt to establish the cause of the anomaly.

SBIRS will replace DSP. SBIRS uses satellites in both geosynchronous and highly elliptical orbits, unlike DSP which used only geostationary spacecraft.

Geosynchronous SBIRS missions, such as GEO-2, use dedicated spacecraft, while highly elliptical orbit missions use sensors hosted on other satellites.

The first launch of the SBIRS program occurred in June 2006, when a Delta IV-M+(4,2) lofted USA-184 into a molniya orbit. USA-184, also designated NRO Launch 22 (NROL-22), is a classified satellite operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office.

USA-184 carries two unclassified secondary payloads; NASA’s TWINS-A, and the first SBIRS-HEO payload. The second was included, along with TWINS-B, on USA-200. Also designated NROL-28, it was launched in March 2008 by an Atlas V 411. Like USA-184, USA-200 is a classified NRO payload.

Amateur observers have identified both spacecraft as being the first two members of a new series of electronic intelligence satellites; successors to the Trumpet satellites launched in the 1990s.

The first dedicated SBIRS satellite, SBIRS GEO-1 or USA-230, was launched by an Atlas V 401 in May 2011. It has still not entered service; following over a year of extended post-launch tests, it entered operational testing in November 2012, however this uncovered a defect in its communications system which has delayed its entry into service.

GEO-2 is currently expected to enter service before it.

A low Earth orbit component of SBIRS, SBIRS-Low, was cancelled, and subsequently became the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS). USA-205, a risk-reduction satellite for the program, was launched in May 2009, followed four months later by two demonstration satellites, USA-208 and 209, which had originally been built for the SBIRS program.

Lockheed Martin constructs SBIRS-GEO satellites, which use the A2100M bus. Their instrumentation is built by Northrop Grumman.

Satellites carry an infrared sensor which provides global coverage, plus a second sensor covering a smaller area at higher resolution. The satellites are procured by the US Air Force through the Infrared Space Systems Directorate. Each satellite has a mass of around four and a half tonnes (10000 lb), and is expected to operate for 12 years.

Tuesday’s launch used an Atlas V carrier rocket, with tail number AV-037, flying in the 401 configuration.

It was the thirty-seventh Atlas V to launch, and the seventeenth to fly in this configuration, which consists of a Common Core Booster (CCB) first stage, a Centaur second stage with a single RL10 engine, a payload fairing with a diameter of four meters, and no solid rocket motors.

To encapsulate SBIRS GEO-2 for launch, the Long Payload Fairing, which despite its name is the shortest of the Atlas V’s three available four-meter fairings, was used.

Launch of AV-037 began with the ignition of the CCB’s RD-180 engine, at T-2.7 seconds. When the countdown reached zero, the engine reached the required thrust for liftoff, when the rocket’s thrust to weight ratio rises above 1, at about T+1.1 seconds.

The rocket climbed vertically for the next 16.6 seconds, before pitching over and beginning a series of roll and yaw manoeuvres to attain the necessary trajectory for its ascent. AV-037 flew east over the Atlantic Ocean, with a flight azimuth of 98.82 degrees. Around 90.6 seconds after liftoff, AV-037 passed through the area of maximum dynamic pressure, or Max-Q.

The first stage burned for four minutes and 3.1 seconds, before shutting down; this event is designated Booster Engine Cutoff, or BECO. Six seconds later the first stage was jettisoned, and following another 9.9 seconds of coasting, the Centaur’s RL10A-4-2 engine ignited for its first burn. This burn lasted for 11 minutes and 1.9 seconds. Payload fairing separation came 8.1 seconds after the Centaur ignites.

The mission entered a short coast phase following the end of the first burn. Eight minutes and 46.6 seconds later, the RL10 restarted to place SBIRS GEO-2 into its planned deployment orbit. The second burn lasted three minutes and 55.4 seconds, and shutdown marked the end of powered flight.

Following a second, longer coast phase, lasting 15 minutes and 9.7 seconds, spacecraft separation was successful.

The target orbit for the deployment of SBIRS GEO-2 is one with a perigee of 185 kilometres (100 nautical miles or 115 statute miles), an apogee of 35,786 kilometres (19,322.8 nautical miles or 22,236 statute miles), 22.19 degrees of inclination, and an argument of perigee of 178 degrees. Spacecraft separation will occur over the Indian Ocean, in sight of the Diego Garcia tracking station.

AV-037 was launched from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral. Built as a Titan launch complex in the 1960s, SLC-41 has been used for Titan IIIC, Titan IIIE, Titan IV and Atlas V rockets. Tuesday’s launch is the thirty-first Atlas launch from the complex, and the fifty-eighth overall.

The pad is served by the Vertical Integration Facility, a tower half a kilometre (600 yards) southeast of the launch pad which is used to assemble rockets before they are rolled to the pad for launch. AV-037, atop its mobile launch platform, was transported to the launch pad around 15:00-15:30 UTC (10:00-10:30 EST) on Monday.

Tuesday’s launch marked the twelfth or thirteenth orbital launch attempt of 2013, depending on whether a rumoured yet unconfirmed Iranian launch attempt around 17 February is counted. It was the third Atlas launch of the year, and also the third for ULA, as no Delta IV launches have thus far occurred in 2013.

The Delta IV’s first flight of the year is scheduled for 8 May, with a Wideband Global Satcom communications satellite, and will be ULA’s next launch as things stand. The next Atlas launch is expected to come a week later, with a Global Positioning System navigation satellite; the first GPS satellite to launch on an Atlas since 1985.

The next SBIRS GEO satellite is scheduled to launch in 2015. Launch dates for SBIRS HEO payloads are classified because they fly on NRO satellites; however no known NRO launches in the next two years use a configuration and launch site compatible with the second-generation Trumpet satellites which seem to host them.

(Images via ULA, USAF and L2 Historical).

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Atlas V Launch:

LDCM is a joint NASA and US Geological Survey mission, and is the eighth satellite in the Landsat series, which began in 1972.

The satellite – built by Orbital Sciences – will add to the longest continuous data record of Earth’s surface as viewed from space and will extend the history of global land observations that are critical in many areas, such as energy and water management, forest monitoring, human and environmental health, urban planning, disaster recovery and agriculture.

“LDCM builds on and strengthens a key American resource: a decades-long, unbroken Landsat-gathered record of our planet’s natural resources, particularly its food, water and forests,” noted Jim Irons, Landsat project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

LDCM carries two instruments, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colorado, and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) built by NASA Goddard.

OLI will continue observations in the visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum and includes two new spectral bands, one of which is designed to support monitoring of coastal waters and the other to detect previously hard to see cirrus clouds that can otherwise unknowingly impact the signal from the Earth’s surface in the other spectral bands.

TIRS will collect data in two thermal bands and will thus be able to measure the temperature of the Earth’s surface, a measurement that’s vital to monitoring water consumption, especially in the arid western United States.

NASA and the U.S. Department of the Interior through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) jointly manage the Landsat program. After launch and the initial checkout phase, USGS will take operational control of the satellite; will collect, archive and distribute the data from OLI and TIRS; and will rename the satellite as Landsat 8. The LDCM data will be freely and openly available through the USGS data system.

“Both of these instruments have evolutionary advances that make them the most advanced Landsat instruments to date and are designed to improve performance and reliability to improve observations of the global land surface,” added Ken Schwer, LDCM project manager at NASA Goddard.

The rocket was making the thirty-sixth flight of an Atlas V; the sixteenth in the 401 configuration.

The Atlas V is a two-stage vehicle, with a Common Core Booster first stage and a Centaur upper stage. The 401 configuration means a four-metre diameter payload fairing, no solid rocket boosters, and a single-engine Centaur.

The Common Core Booster, which powered the rocket for the first few minutes of its flight, is powered by a Russian-built RD-180 engine fuelled by RP-1 propellant and liquid oxygen. The Centaur has an RL10A-4-2 engine, fuelled by cryogenic propellant; liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

The spacecraft was sent on its way to a polar orbit of 438 miles at an inclination of 98.2 degrees.

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The ULA rocket was launched from Space Launch Complex 3E (SLC-3E) at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The pad was originally part of Naval Missile Facility, Point Arguello (NMFPA), and designated Launch Complex 1-2, supporting its first launch in July 1961 when an Atlas-Agena launched MIDAS-3.

In 1964, Point Arguello became part of Vandenberg, with its launch pads continuing to be designated as “Point Arguello Launch Complex” until they were given their current names in 1966.

SLC-3E was initially used for Atlas-Agena launches, after which three Atlas SLV-3s made suborbital launches with X-23A PRIME spacecraft, and an Atlas SLV-3 failed to orbit twelve payloads in a single launch. Following a period of inactivity in the early and mid 1970s, the complex was used for Atlas E/F and Atlas H launches in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Between 1992 and 1996 the complex was redeveloped to accommodate the Atlas II, with the first of three launches occurring in 1999 with the Terra satellite, following two years of delays. The other two launches were NROL-13 and NROL-18, both deploying pairs of NOSS satellites.

The Atlas V made its first launch from SLC-3E in March 2008, carrying an Improved Trumpet satellite, NROL-28. This was followed by the launch of a DMSP weather satellite in October 2009, and an FIA Radar satellite, NROL-41, in September 2010.

The most recent launch occurred in March 2011, with the deployment of NROL-34, a pair of NOSS satellites like those expected to be deployed by AV-033.

Monday’s launch follows hot on the heels of the Atlas V launch with TDRS-K, carried out on January 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

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Atlas V/TDRS-K Launch:

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system (TDRSS) consists of three satellites plus on-orbit spares. Prior to TDRS-K, ten satellites have been launched, of which seven remain operational.

Used to relay communications, scientific data, telemetry and navigation data and commands between spacecraft and rockets and their controllers, TDRSS supported the Space Shuttle, and continues to support the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope, amongst other missions.

The satellites are also rumoured to be used by the US National Reconnaissance Office to relay data from reconnaissance satellites, augmenting the NRO’s own Satellite Data System spacecraft. TDRS satellites are controlled primarily from a ground station at White Sands, New Mexico, with a secondary station in Guam used to control satellites outside the primary station’s line of sight.

Seven first-generation TDRS satellites were constructed by TRW, and deployed by the Space Shuttle using an Inertial Upper Stage to reach geostationary orbit.

These satellites had masses of around 2,270 kilograms (5,000 lb) and provided C, Ku and S-band communications – except for TDRS-7 which lacked the C-band payload. Four remain in service, and with the exception of TDRS-B, which failed to achieve orbit, all have exceeded their design lives.

TDRS-1, known before launch as TDRS-A, was deployed by Challenger during its maiden flight, STS-6, in April 1983. The IUS malfunctioned, resulting in the satellite being placed into a lower than planned orbit.

Through the use of attitude control and stationkeeping thrusters, it was eventually able to raise its own orbit. Designed to operate for ten years, it was retired from service in 2009 and decommissioned in 2010, after 27 years in orbit.

TDRS-B was originally scheduled for deployment during STS-8, but following the upper stage problems with TDRS-A, it was moved to STS-51E. On 15 February 1985, Challenger was rolled out to Launch Complex 39A ahead of a March launch; however the satellite developed a problem necessitating that the stack be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. STS-51E was subsequently cancelled.

With the problems resolved, TDRS-B was re-manifested as the primary payload of STS-51L, the twenty-fifth mission of the Space Shuttle programme, and the tenth flight of Challenger.

Seventy three seconds after liftoff on 28 January 1986 the vehicle disintegrated, killing the crew of seven astronauts. TDRS-B was destroyed along with Challenger.

Like the GOES programme, and several other series of satellites, TDRS satellites are named using letters before launch, and subsequently given numbers upon achieving orbit; for example GOES-F became GOES 6, GOES-G failed to orbit and was consequently not given a numerical designation, and GOES-H subsequently became GOES 7.

TDRS-B was to have become TDRS-2 upon achieving orbit, however as a tribute to the failure, this designation was never reassigned.

The Space Shuttle returned to flight in September 1988, with Discovery flying STS-26. This mission’s primary payload was the third TDRS spacecraft, TDRS-C, which was deployed successfully.

Currently operational as a reserve satellite, TDRS-3 is also used to relay communications for the Amundsen-Scott station in Antarctica, as its relatively high inclination allows it to be seen from the South Pole for part of its orbit.

During STS-29 in March 1989, Discovery also deployed TDRS-D, or TDRS-4. This spacecraft operated for 22 years – more than twice its design life – before battery problems forced its retirement in November 2011. It was decommissioned last spring.

The next satellite, TDRS-E or TDRS-5, was deployed by Atlantis during STS-43 in August 1991, and remains operational as a backup satellite. The last of the original six satellites was TDRS-F, or TDRS-6, launched by Endeavour during STS-54 in January 1993. This spacecraft is also held in reserve.

Due to the loss of TDRS-B, a replacement first-generation satellite was built; TDRS-G, which became TDRS-7 in orbit. This spacecraft was the final TDRS to be launched using the Space Shuttle, and was deployed by Discovery in July 1995 (STS-70).

TDRS-7 is the only first-generation satellite to remain fully operational as one of the three active satellites in the TDRSS constellation.

Three second-generation satellites were procured from Hughes Space and Communications (later Boeing) to augment and replace the earlier satellites.

Based on the HS-601 (later BSS-601) bus, these spacecraft had masses of around 3,200 kilograms (7,050 lb), with 11-year design lives and Ku, Ka and S-band transponders.

Second-generation satellites were launched by International Launch Services using Atlas IIA carrier rockets flying from Space Launch Complex 36A at the Cape Canaveral Air Station.

TDRS-H, or TDRS-8, was launched in June 2000. Early in its mission the satellite developed a problem with its multiple-access phased array antenna, which resulted in reduced performance, and has resulted in TDRS-8 being used principally as a backup satellite while the older TDRS-7 remains operational.

Following the problems with TDRS-8, the TDRS-I and TDRS-J satellites were modified as they were found to carry the same fault. Once the modifications were complete, TDRS-I was launched as TDRS-9 in March 2002, with TDRS-J following as TDRS-10 in December of the same year. Both TDRS-9 and 10 are operational as part of the primary TDRSS system, with TDRS-8 as a backup.

Unlike the first generation satellites, which were delivered directly into geostationary orbit by the Inertial Upper Stage, second-generation satellites were placed into geostationary transfer orbits by their carrier rockets, and used an on-board R-4D engine to raise their perigees.

One of TDRS-9′s propellant tanks failed to pressurise in orbit, complicating its orbit-raising manoeuvres. Engineers devised a technique to use the other tank’s pressurisation system to pressurise the faulty tank, and the satellite eventually reached its operational orbit seven months after launch.

TDRS-K, which will be renamed TDRS-11 upon reaching geostationary orbit, is the first of three planned third-generation satellites. These spacecraft are also being built by Boeing, based on the BSS-601HP bus.

TDRS-K has a mass of 3,454 kilograms (7614 lb) including propellant, with a design life of 15 years. It is powered by nickel-hydrogen batteries and solar arrays, with a span of 21 metres (69 feet), which will generate between 2,850 and 3,220 watts of power.

TDRS-K carries S, Ku and Ka-band transponders. The spacecraft can provide a multi-user service via a series of a dedicated s-band antennae supporting up to five other satellites at a time, and a single-user service in all three bands via two steerable antennae which are used for spacecraft such as the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Ku and Ka-band payloads are single-user and provide higher data transfer rates; up to 800 megabits per second for the Ka-band.

Two third-generation satellites were originally ordered, at a cost of $715 million, which includes modifications to the satellites’ ground stations. In November 2011, NASA exercised one of two options they had in the contract for an additional satellite, which will be designated TDRS-M. The remaining option, for TDRS-N, has not yet been exercised. The cost of the additional satellite has been estimated at $289 million.

TDRSS primarily uses three satellites at any given time for communications; designated TDRS East, TRDS West and TDRS-Z, with the rest remaining operational as backups, or being used for other purposes such as relaying communications to the Amundsen-Scott station at the South Pole.

Currently TDRS-9 is being operated as TDRS East at 41 degrees west longitude, TDRS-10 is serving as TDRS West at 141 degrees west, and TDRS-7 is at 85 degrees East as TDRS-Z. The TDRS-Z satellite is used to fill a gap in coverage between TDRS East and West. TDRS-3, 5, 6 and 8 are in service as backups.

TDRS-K was launched by United Launch Alliance, using an Atlas V 401 carrier rocket. The rocket had the tail number AV-036, and was making the thirty-fifth flight of an Atlas V; the fifteenth in the 401 configuration.

AV-036 is a two-stage vehicle, with a Common Core Booster first stage and a Centaur upper stage. The 401 configuration means a four-metre diameter payload fairing, no solid rocket boosters, and a single-engine Centaur.

The Common Core Booster, which powered the rocket for the first few minutes of its flight, is powered by a Russian-built RD-180 engine fuelled by RP-1 propellant and liquid oxygen. The Centaur has an RL10A-4-2 engine, fuelled by cryogenic propellant; liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

The vehicle was topped off with the TDRS satellite encapsulated in an Extended Payload Fairing, or EPF.

Originally developed for the Atlas II, the EPF is approximately 90 centimetres longer than the Long Payload Fairing, which is standard for the Atlas V. This is the eighth Atlas V launch to use the EPF; the first being the April 2006 launch of Astra-1KR. The EPF was used most recently in last September’s launch of USA-238; a pair of NOSS ocean reconnaissance satellites known before launch as NROL-36.

Following assembly in the Vertical Integration Facility, 550 metres (1,804 ft) southwest of the launch pad, AV-036 was rolled out to Space Launch Complex 41 on Tuesday. AV-036 is the thirtieth Atlas, and fifty-seventh rocket overall, to launch from SLC-41.

Built in the 1960s as a Titan III launch pad, LC-41 supported ten Titan IIIC, seven Titan IIIE and ten Titan IV launches before being converted to an Atlas V launch pad between 1998 and 2002. It is used for all East coast launches of the Atlas V, with Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 3E being used for all West coast launches,

The launch of AV-036 with TDRS-K began with the ignition of the RD-180 engine 2.7 seconds before T-0. When the countdown reached zero, the engine were ready for launch, however liftoff did not occur until T+1.1 seconds when the vehicle’s thrust-to-weight ratio climbed above 1.

Roll, pitch and yaw manoeuvres were conducted from T+17.6 seconds, as the rocket aligned itself with its flight plan, carrying it out East over the Atlantic Ocean on an azimuth of 101.4 degrees. At 91.4 seconds mission elapsed time, AV-036 passed through the area of maximum aerodynamic pressure, Max-Q.

Booster Engine Cut-Off, the extinction of the first stage, came four minutes and two seconds after liftoff, followed six seconds later by the separation of the first stage.

The Centaur’s RL10 engine began its prestart following separation, igniting ten seconds after staging to begin its first burn. Eight seconds into the burn, the payload fairing was separated from around the spacecraft.

The Centaur’s first burn lasted for 13 minutes and 55.9 seconds, following which the mission entered its 82-minute, 3.1-second coast phase before the RL10 ignited again for its second burn.

The second burn will be much shorter, at 58.7 seconds, and is the last element of powered flight for the mission.

Spacecraft separation occured five minutes and forty six seconds after the end of the second burn, with the Dongara tracking station in Australia – part of the Universal Space Network – performing acquisition of signal 70 seconds after spacecraft separation.

In addition to tracking spacecraft already in orbit, TDRS satellites are used to relay telemetry for rockets. Three spacecraft; TDRS-10 at 174 degrees West, TDRS-3 at 49 degrees West, and TDRS-7 at 85 degrees East will provide a telemetry downlink for AV-036 as it carries TDRS-K into orbit. Ground stations in Antigua, Diego Garcia and Guam will also support the launch.

The first US orbital launch of 2013, Wednesday’s launch begins a year in which United Launch Alliance are expecting to fly six or seven Atlas Vs and four Delta IVs. The next Atlas V launch is scheduled for 11 February, with another Atlas V 401 carrying the Landsat Data Continuity Mission into orbit.

Further launches are expected in March with a SBIRS missile defence satellite; May with a GPS Navigation satellite; July with a MUOS military communications satellite, September with an AEHF military communications satellite and November with NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft bound for Mars.

An additional launch had been scheduled for May, carrying the GeoEye-2 commercial imaging satellite, however due to corporate reorganisation this launch has been delayed, and may not fly until 2017.

According to schedules, 2013 could be a busy year for US launches; in addition to ULA’s ten or eleven launches, SpaceX are planning six, including the debut of the Falcon 9 v1.1 and their first launch from Vandenberg.

Orbital Sciences Corporation have one Pegasus, two Minotaurs and four Antares launches scheduled, and the University of Hawaii is hoping to conduct the first launch of its Strypi-derived SPARK carrier rocket in September.

Last year the United States conducted thirteen orbital launches with twelve successful and one a partial failure. United Launch Alliance conducted ten of those launches; six with the Atlas V and four with the Delta IV.

Orbital conducted a single launch using a Pegasus-XL, while SpaceX launched two Falcon 9s. The United States conducted the third highest number of orbital launches in the year; with Russia (27 successes from 29 launches) and China (19 launches, all successful) ahead of it.

To read about the orbiters -  from birth, processing, every single mission, through to retirement, click here for the links:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=25837.0

(Images: Via Larry Sullivan, MaxQ Entertainment/NASASpaceflight.com, ULA, NASA and L2 Historical (from 200-500mb of hi res images PER shuttle mission) and L2 content, plus NASA and NASA TV)

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Atlas V Tag Team:

At Cape Canaveral’s SLC-41, ULA’s Atlas V (AV-036) overcame a minor issue during its processing flow, causing just a one day slip to its original launch date.

The fault – noted to be a short within the Ordnance Remote Control Assembly (ORCA) – was found during the Integrated System Test (IST), conducted on Tuesday.

Per L2 processing flow information for this launch, a replacement ORCA was shipped from the birth place of the Atlas V in Decatur, arriving the next day, allowing for the IST to be re-performed without issue.

The vehicle’s Booster Main Vehicle Batteries were also removed from the vehicle due to an anomalous indication relating to one battery exceeding a divergence requirement. Two reserve batteries are being prepared for installation on the vehicle on Saturday, with the troublesome battery sent to Denver for Fault Analysis.

The vehicle passed its Flight Readiness Review (FRR) at the end of the week, ahead of a countdown dress rehearsal. Next up will be the Launch Readiness Review (LRR) on Monday, which will cover any action items from the FRR.

Passing the LRR will also will provide the go for the rollout of the Atlas V to the launch pad on Tuesday morning.

The Atlas V, flying in its 401 configuration, will be tasked with lofting the latest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System – a space-based communication system used to provide tracking, telemetry, command, and high bandwidth data return services to its many customers – into orbit.

Currently, there are seven operational satellites that provide in-flight communications with spacecraft operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Aboard each satellite are multiple antennae that send and receive signals both to and from the ground to multiple satellites simultaneously.

TDRS-K will launch to geostationary orbit and is the first of three next-generation satellites designed to ensure vital operational continuity for NASA by expanding the lifespan of the fleet. The launch of TDRS-L is scheduled for 2014 and TDRS-M in 2015.

“This launch will provide even greater capabilities to a network that has become key to enabling many of NASA’s scientific discoveries,” noted Jeffrey Gramling, project manager for TDRS at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

The TDRS fleet began operating during the space shuttle era and provides critical communication support including for the International Space Station (ISS). The fleet also provides communications support to an array of science missions, as well as various types of launch vehicles.

“The TDRS satellites provide NASA with crucial crosslink communications between orbiting spacecraft and control and data processing facilities on Earth,” said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems.

“TDRS K is a major step toward improving how high-resolution images, video, voice and data are transmitted.”

Of the nine TDRS satellites launched, seven are still operational, although four are already beyond their design life. Two have been retired.

The timing of the launch of TDRS K will be just days after the anniversary of the loss of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986 – a disaster that also saw the destruction of the second TDRS.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, another Atlas V is preparing for its own launch, scheduled for just over a week after its sister rocket launches from Cape Canaveral.

Again launching in the 401 configuration, the West Coast Atlas V is scheduled to lift-off on February 11 from SLC-3E at Vandenberg. The passenger is the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) satellite.

LDCM is a joint NASA and US Geological Survey mission, and is the eighth satellite in the Landsat series, which began in 1972.

The satellite will add to the longest continuous data record of Earth’s surface as viewed from space and will extend the history of global land observations that are critical in many areas, such as energy and water management, forest monitoring, human and environmental health, urban planning, disaster recovery and agriculture.

“LDCM builds on and strengthens a key American resource: a decades-long, unbroken Landsat-gathered record of our planet’s natural resources, particularly its food, water and forests,” noted Jim Irons, Landsat project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space FlightCenter.

LDCM carries two instruments, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo., and theThermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) built by NASA Goddard.

“Both of these instruments have evolutionary advances that make them the most advanced Landsat instruments to date and are designed to improve performance and reliability to improve observations of the global land surface,” added Ken Schwer, LDCM project manager at NASA Goddard.

The spacecraft will be sent on its way to a polar orbit of 438 miles at an inclination of 98.2 degrees.

(Images via ULA and NASA)

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Atlas V Launch:

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 3, or OTV-3, mission is the third spaceflight of the X-37 programme, and will use the same spacecraft which flew the OTV-1 mission, making it the first X-37B to be reused. Reusability has always been a goal for the programme, however further flights were uncertain before the success of the first mission.

Upon reaching orbit, it is expected the mission will be redesignated USA-240 in keeping with the designation system used for many large US military spacecraft; the OTV-1 and OTV-2 missions were known as USA-212 and USA-226 respectively.

The mission is being conducted by the United States Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, which will use the spacecraft for classified research; believed to be technology demonstration for future spacecraft. The X-37B was designed to operate for up to 270 days in orbit; however the OTV-2 mission appears to have extended this by around 180 days, following its 468 day flight which concluded in June.

It is unclear how long OTV-3 is intended to remain in orbit, however once the mission is complete the spacecraft is expected to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Edwards Air Force Base is considered a backup landing site.

The X-37B, which was constructed by Boeing, is 8.9 metres (29 feet) long, has a wing span of 4.5 metres (15 feet) and a height of 2.9 metres (9.5 feet), with a mass of 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb). Power is provided by lithium ion batteries charged by a gallium arsenide solar array which will be deployed shortly after launch.

The X-37 programme was started by NASA, but taken over by DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 2004. Drop tests of the X-37A variant began in April 2006, with development of the operational X-37B variant beginning the same year. The X-37B made its first flight in April 2010, with OTV-1 launching aboard an Atlas V.

The first mission lasted seven months, landing in December 2010 at Vandenberg. It was followed three months later by the second mission, OTV-2, which launched in March 2011. This mission remained in orbit for 15 months, finally landing on 16 June this year. Details of both missions are classified, however they are assumed to have been successful, and the vehicles were both recovered intact.

Although the X-37 was originally designed to be launched by the Space Shuttle, and later the Delta II, the restriction of the former to ISS assembly, and aerodynamic issues with the latter, resulted in the Atlas V being chosen to carry it to orbit.

The 501 configuration is used, which consists of a Common Core Booster first stage, with a single-engine Centaur upper stage, no solid rocket boosters, and a five metre (16 foot) diameter payload fairing large enough to encapsulate the X-37B, negating any aerodynamic effects it may otherwise have had upon its carrier rocket. The Centaur is also encapsulated by the payload fairing.

The Atlas V that launched OTV-3 had the tail number AV-034, and was the thirty fourth Atlas to fly; the fourth to use the 501 configuration.

The first stage, or Common Core Booster (CCB), is fuelled by RP-1 propellant, oxidised by liquid oxygen; a Russian-built RD-180 engine provides the thrust. The RD-180 ignited 2.7 seconds before the countdown reaches zero. At T-0 the engine was ready for liftoff, which will came 1.1 seconds later when the thrust it was generating exceeded the weight of the fully fuelled rocket. A second after liftoff, the engine reached maximum thrust.

After climbing vertically until T+18.3 seconds, the Atlas began a series of pitch, yaw and roll manoeuvres to align itself to the necessary trajectory for its ascent into orbit. At T+83.1 seconds passed through the sound barrier, and six seconds later it encountered the area of maximum dynamic pressure, or max-Q.

Once AV-034 reached space, the atmosphere became sufficiently sparse that the fairing was no longer be needed to prevent the X-37 affecting the rocket’s aerodynamic profile, and it was jettisoned to reduce the vehicle’s mass. While payload fairings are usually present to protect the payload from the atmosphere during ascent, this was not necessary with the X-37B as it was designed to launch without a fairing on the Delta II – this being abandoned due to concerns that the rocket would be unable to cope with it.

Fairing separation was 216.2 seconds after launch, and five seconds later the forward load reactor, a device used to dampen vibrations within the fairing, also separated. First stage engine cutoff, or BECO (Booster Engine CutOff), came four minutes and 23.2 seconds after launch. The first stage was jettisoned six seconds later, with the Centaur continuing the mission.

The Centaur is a single-engine upper stage, powered by an RL10A-4-2 engine. The RL10A is similar to the RL10B used on the second stage of the Delta IV, which resulted in delays to the launch after a problem during the previous Delta launch. The RL10A burns liquid hydrogen propellant, and like the first stage it uses liquid oxygen as an oxidiser. Centaur ignition occurred ten seconds after staging, with the stage making a 13 minute, 55.3 second burn, to inject the X-37B into low Earth orbit. Spacecraft separation will presumably occur shortly afterwards.

The launch of OTV-3 was the first to be conducted by United Launch Alliance in over two months; the last being the 4 October launch of a Delta IV Medium+(4,2) with USA-239, or GPS IIF-3. Although this launch was successful, a fuel leak during early in second stage flight led to reduced performance, and although the Delta was able to compensate for this, if it hadn’t been carrying a comparatively light payload, giving the rocket a large performance margin, the launch would likely have failed.

Tuesday’s launch also marked the last US launch of 2012. In all, the United States have made thirteen orbital launches this year, beginning on 20 January with a Delta IV carrying WGS-4. This was followed by an Atlas V with MUOS-1 in February, another Delta IV with NROL-25 in March, and an Atlas V with AEHF-2 in May. Later in May, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 with the second Dragon spacecraft, on the Dragon C2+, or COTS-2+ mission; becoming the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the ISS.

Three launches occurred in June; Orbital Sciences launched NuSTAR with a Pegasus-XL on 13 June, with ULA launching an Atlas V on 20 June, and a Delta IV Heavy nine days later, both carrying payloads for the US National Reconnaissance Office; NROL-38 and NROL-15 respectively. August saw the launch of an Atlas V with NASA’s Radiation Belt Storm Probes, with the NROL-36 mission which had originally been scheduled to launch before RBSP, launching in September.

The last Delta IV launch of the year was the GPS launch on 4 October, and this was followed four days later by a Falcon 9 with another Dragon spacecraft bound for the ISS. America’s next scheduled launch is of an Atlas V on 30 January, carrying NASA’s TDRS-K communications satellite. A date has not yet been set for Orbital Sciences Corporation’s test flight of the Antares rocket, however, so this could possibly fly before that date.

(Images via ULA).

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Atlas V Clearance:

ULA’s Delta IV rocket launched from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-37B on October 4 and successfully placed GPS IIF-3 – the third of twelve Block IIF Global Positioning System satellites, and the sixty-third GPS satellite overall to be launched – into its desired orbit. As such, the mission was a success.

However, the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS) – powered by the RL10B-2 powerpack – suffered from a drop in performance, noted from the point it conducted its first burn. The autonomous DCSS recognized the issue and opted to conduct a longer burn to make up for the reduced performance.

Three burns were carried out in total, with the second also classed as a longer-than-planned burn, prior to the required fine tuning of the third and final burn. GPS IIF-3 was successfully deployed on target, thanks to the upper stage’s refinements to the mission profile, along with the large amount of performance “margin” involved with this flight.

It was suspected that a fuel leak was the cause of the issue within hours of the launch (L2), with ULA confirming the leak occurred within “the interior of the thrust chamber”, and that this leak started during the first engine start sequence.

“Although the GPS mission was successful and the satellite was delivered to a precise orbit, ULA and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) are executing an extremely robust investigation into the cause of the reduced engine performance on the recent Delta IV mission,” noted Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Mission Operations.

“Our 50-year heritage of launch experience and decades of launch data have enabled the robust investigation processes we perform for any flight conditions that differ from our nominal predictions, in order to continue the critical focus on mission success that our customers demand.”

The United States Air Force Space Command convened an Accident Investigation Board (AIB) in the wake of the anomaly – led by commander General William Shelton.

“While the launch was ultimately successful, the time-honored rigor and earnest process of an AIB will serve us well as we attempt to determine the root cause of this anomaly,” said General Shelton. “In the end our objective is continued safe and reliable launch for our nation.”

While the investigations into the root cause of the flight data anomaly are continuing, ULA are now at the point where all credible crossover implications from the Delta anomaly for the OTV-3 (X-37B) Atlas vehicle and engine system have been thoroughly addressed and mitigated, culminating in the flight clearance decision for the next launch.

The commonality relates to the Atlas V’s Centaur upper stage, that also uses the RL-10 engine used on the DCSS, thus ULA had to postpone the launch of OTV-3 (X-37B) – a baby orbiter under the control of the USAF – to ensure there wasn’t an issue that could impact their Atlas V launches.

Both the DCSS and the Centaur have a major role to play in the future of space flight, with the Delta IV Upper Stage set to loft Orion on its first trip into space on Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) and the two test flights to the Moon via the Space Launch System (SLS) on EM-1 and EM-2.

The Centaur will be the upper stage for commercial crew missions using the Atlas V – namely with SNC’s Dream Chaser and Boeing’s CST-100 – should either option ultimately win the NASA contract for flying astronauts to the ISS.

However, for the interim, the Atlas V will continue its hugely impressive flight record by lofting key spacecraft of the uncrewed nature into orbit.

“Our flight data anomaly investigation includes substantial involvement and oversight from senior industry technical advisors, as well as our Air Force OTV customer, Air Force EELV customer, and NASA customers,” added Sponnick.

“We thank the OTV customer for their patience and participation throughout the flight clearance process for this important mission.”

With OTV-3 now given approval to launch on December 11 from SLC-41, ULA can also place the Atlas V mission set to follow OTV-3 back on a firm schedule footing. That next launch is the TDRS-K mission for NASA, which is planned for January 29, 2013 – also from SLC-41.

(Images: ULA, SNC, NASA and L2).

(Click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/ – to view how you can support NSF and access the best space flight content on the entire internet).

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Who To Launch With:

Customers wishing to launch their payloads into orbit have several options to choose from, with companies based around the world, sometimes with several launch vehicle options available to cater for their spacecraft.

Arianespace currently have three vehicles on their books, with the Vega the latest rocket to enter the market, enabling small spacecraft to be launched from their base at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Arianespace also added the Soyuz launch vehicle to their roster, becoming the stable mate of their flagship Ariane 5 rocket.

The company currently rely on their Ariane 5 ECA (Cryogenic Evolution type A), the most powerful version in the Ariane 5 range, which successfully lofted its dual payload of the Star One C3 and Eutelsat21B/W6A telecommunication satellites – weighing in at a combined 9.6 tonnes – into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) this month.

The launch represented the 210th mission of an Ariane family launcher since the maiden liftoff of an Ariane 1 version in 1979. The launch was also the 66th Ariane 5 liftoff, the 51st success in a row, as Arianespace hold claim to being the top launch services company on the planet, with an order book full to the brim.

Looking to the future, the Ariane 5 ME (Mid-life Evolution) is currently classed as in development for flight in 2016-2017, sporting a new Upper Stage with an increased propellant volume, powered by the Vinci expander cycle engine that – unlike the ECA’s HM7B engine – can restart up to five times, allowing for direct GEO insertion.

However, Arianespace may opt to push forward with the Ariane 6 – more suited to larger satellites and cheaper production costs – to cater for their target market in the years to come.

This subject is on the agenda for ministers from the European Space Agency’s 20 member states at their meeting in Naples this month.

The main question is whether to advance straight to the Ariane 6, or continue on the path of upgrading to the Ariane 5 ME. ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain has previously mentioned the need for Ariane 6 by directly referencing competitors in India, China – and in the US, namely SpaceX.

It is possible Mr Dordian’s naming of SpaceX as a direct competitor caused Mr Musk to comment on Arianespace’s current flagship, Ariane 5 – during an interview with the BBC’s Jonathan Amos – noting that a failure to evolve the European workhorse would only lead to his Falcon rockets dominating over the Ariane.

“Ariane 5 has no chance. I don’t say that with a sense of bravado but there’s really no way for that vehicle to compete with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy,” noted Mr Musk, who was in London to speak at the Royal Aeronautical Society where he was being honored for his role in commercial space.

“If I were in the position of Ariane, I would really push for an Ariane 6.”

Mr Musk is understandably buoyant about his company’s future in the market, with an order book that is filling up at an extraordinary pace for such a relatively young company, in addition to the upcoming debut of Falcon 9′s big brother, the Falcon Heavy – which will be the most powerful launch vehicle on the planet when it makes its first ride uphill.

One of the keys to Mr Musk’s comment is the pricing of the services provided, with SpaceX entering – and claiming to being able to sustain – a much cheaper cost to the customer than all of its main competitors, both domestic and overseas, such as Arianespace.

“Not only can we sustain the prices, but the next version of Falcon 9 is actually able to go to a lower price,” added Mr Musk during the BBC interview. “So if Ariane can’t compete with the current Falcon 9, it sure as hell can’t compete with the next one.”

However, low costs aren’t everything, as pointed out by Dr George Sowers, ULA VP for Human Launch Services, who was speaking prior to Mr Musk’s interview, when asked about how ULA compete on price.

“The short and direct answer is that ULA has, and will continue, to compete on total value to include price. We have gone head to head with SpaceX on several occasions and have won the majority,” Dr Sowers said to NASASpaceFlight.com in August.

“In the launch business, price is never the sole consideration for the buyer. That’s because launch price is a small percentage of the total program value (which can exceed replacement cost when there’s no money to replace, like the Glory spacecraft).”

ULA operate the Delta IV and the Atlas V – the latter sporting what the company proclaims to be a 100 percent track record since its 2002 debut.

Falcon 9 has only launched four times, with some dicey moments during its short history, most notably with the CRS-1 Dragon launch last month – although all four launches have resulted in primary mission success.

The Atlas V is currently used by NASA and the Department of Defense (DOD) for critical space missions to launch highly expensive payloads into orbit – as seen with the successes with the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and NASA’s Juno probe.

Notably, SpaceX and ULA have a “competitive” history in the national security payload arena, namely the contracts associated with the US Government-sponsored Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.

“In ULA’s market of national security payloads and unique science probes, capability, schedule assurance and reliability often overwhelm any other consideration. As a citizen and taxpayer, I think that’s appropriate,” added Dr Sowers.

“Not to minimize SpaceX’s impressive achievements, but ULA’s customers want to see a track record of success, repeatably delivering complex payloads to orbit, safely and on time.”

Atlas V – like Falcon 9 – is now walking down the path of proving it can be entrusted with launching humans into orbit, with both vehicles facing off in NASA’s commercial crew development program competition. The two launch vehicles are the last rockets standing, as the process moved into the Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCAP) stage.

SpaceX are hoping their Falcon 9 will launch NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) via a crew-capable version of their Dragon spacecraft, while ULA’s Atlas V has both the Boeing CST-100 and SNC’s Dream Chaser under its wing.

(Images: ULA, SpaceX, Arianespace, BBC, SNC and L2).

(Click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/ – to view how you can support NSF and access the best space flight content on the entire internet).

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Happy AEHF-2:

AEHF-2 was launched on May 4, by AV-031 – the United launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket in the 531 configuration – from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The launch came at the second attempt, following an earlier scrub due to a lack of helium flow from the ground support equipment to the Interstage Adapter compartment on the launch vehicle.

Advanced Extremely High Frequency, or AEHF, is a series of communications satellites being launched to supplement, and eventually replace, the earlier Milstar spacecraft, which were launched between 1994 and 2003. AEHF is designed to be secure, survivable, and resistant to attempted jamming, and will provide communications for the US military, as well as the armed forces of the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands.

Current plans will see two further launches increase the number of AEHF satellites in orbit to four; one satellite is already in orbit, one is awaiting launch, and a fourth is under construction.

Negotiations are underway regarding the procurement of two further satellites, increasing the number of spacecraft to six; the number which was originally planned before the programme was scaled back in favour of the now-cancelled Transformational Satellite Communications System, or TSAT.

AEHF-2 is a 6,170-kilogram (13,600 lb) spacecraft, which was constructed by Lockheed Martin, and is based on the A2100M satellite bus. Its communications payload, which was built by Northrop Grumman, provides an uplink at a frequency of 44 gigahertz in the Extremely High Frequency band, and a downlink at 20 gigahertz in the Super High Frequency band, with a variable data rate from 75 bits per second to 8.192 megabits per second.

The spacecraft’s propulsion system consists of an IHI Aerospace BT-4 liquid-fuelled apogee motor, a liquid-fuelled reaction control system, and a system of Hall current thrusters. Including research and development, AEHF-2 is estimated to have cost around two billion dollars.

The launch of AEHF-2 came 21 months after that of AEHF-1, which is now known as USA-214, in August 2010. The day after launch, USA-214 was expected to perform a manoeuvre to begin raising its orbit, however shortly after ignition its apogee motor failed.

Following another failed burn two days later, forcing engineers to devise an alternative plan to raise the satellite into its final orbit. Using its manoeuvring engines and Hall thrusters, the satellite finally arrived in geosynchronous orbit in late October last year; fourteen months after launch, and almost a year behind schedule.

The problems with USA-214 resulted in the launch of AEHF-2, which at the time of the first AEHF launch was scheduled for February 2011, being delayed to ensure that it would not be affected by the same problem, and to allow testing of USA-214 in orbit. The next launch, that of AEHF-3, is expected to occur in September next year.

So far, AEHF-2 is enjoying its life in space, completing the key milestone of on-orbit testing.

“Completion of on-orbit testing and handover of AEHF-2 is a critical milestone for the Air Force and our nation,” said Dave Madden, Director of the Military Satellite Communications Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center.

“The AEHF satellites on orbit and those planned for launch will play a pivotal role in our national security for years to come.”

As noted, Lockheed Martin is currently under contract to deliver four AEHF satellites and the Mission Control Segment.  The program has begun advanced procurement of long-lead components for the fifth and sixth AEHF satellites.

“The U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman AEHF team performed a thorough and efficient on orbit test campaign for this critical satellite, and AEHF-2 is performing exceptionally well,” added Mark Calassa, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and AEHF program manager.

“With the first two AEHF satellites now on orbit, the Department of Defense is well on its way to augmenting, improving and expanding its critical military satellite communications architecture to meet increasing demand from users worldwide.”

(Images: Lockheed Martin and ULA).

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Atlas V Pad Modifications:

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) are currently planning to launch two commercial spacecraft to destinations such as the International Space Station via their reliable Atlas V rocket – namely Boeing’s CST-100 and SNC’s Dream Chaser, both of which are currently under development within NASA’s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) program.

The challenge with the pad at SLC-41 mainly relates to crew access and the Emergency Egress System (EES) for both the astronauts and the pad workers.

To meet these challenges, ULA have selected Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando to provide program management contractor support to the efforts, resulting in a 21-month effort to work on the the management of the design, requirements development, cost and schedule projections, and risk mitigation for modifications to the launch facilities for commercial crew operations.

“Hensel Phelps brings significant experience working major construction projects including the original construction for Atlas V at SLC-41, as well as Atlas modifications at SLC-3 in California,” said Dr. George Sowers, ULA vice president of Human Launch Services.

“We look forward to working with Hensel Phelps to take the next steps in launching crew from SLC-41 and providing safe and reliable crew launch services as early as 2015.”

Hensel Phelps will assist with the design and development of the crew access tower and the crew access arm which will provide access to the commercial crew space vehicle for cargo and crew loading.

“Hensel Phelps is excited about teaming with ULA and their partners on the modifications of SLC-41,” said Kirk Hazen, vice president of Hensel Phelps. “It is an honor and privilege to be a part of the next generation of human space flight.”

The project – which could ultimately create 250-300 much-needed skilled aerospace and construction jobs in Brevard County – already has a number of notional views into what the pad modifications may eventually look like, such as the access tower elevator to a platform deck, allowing the astronauts to walk to the hatch of the spacecraft prior to ingress.

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The announcement, not least on the new jobs, was welcomed by NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Ed Mango.

“One year after the Space Shuttle Program, American companies are making critical progress on modern spacecraft and rockets that will enable the next generation of human spaceflight,” Mango said.

“NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is fostering new national capabilities for spacecraft, launch vehicles, flight operations and ground operations to achieve safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit. These advances will enable a launch of astronauts from U.S. soil in the next five years. 

“Companies like ULA and their subcontractors in the Space Coast and around the nation are creating the high-skill, good-paying jobs that will ensure continued American leadership in space and the growth of the greatest aerospace industry in the world.”

The company will also work on the Emergency Egress System (EES) that will provide the flight crew and support personnel with a method to quickly evacuate in the unlikely event of a contingency event and a safe haven which will provide a safe environment for the crew and support personnel until they can be evacuated to another location.

No notional imagery has been created for the EES – although numerous options are already under evaluation, including a system similar to that used on the Space Shuttle pads at 39A and 39B.

“We are still looking at different options for emergency egress. Detailed hazard analysis of the launch operations is a key determinant and is being refined,” added Dr George Sowers, during a Q&A session with NASASpaceFlight.com members.

“We have the option of implementing a shuttle-like slide wire system, if required.”

Ares ML to SLS ML:

The ML – designed by RS&H (base and structure), along with ASRC Aerospace Corporation (prop systems etc.) – consists of the main support structure that comprises the base, tower and facility ground support systems, which include power, communications, conditioned air, water for cooling, wash-down, and was designed with ignition over-pressure protection in mind.

Hensel Phelps engineers worked on the structure at the mobile launcher park site area just north of the VAB, with trestles and girders arriving by barge in February of 2009, beginning the opening phase of work to create a base platform – one which is lighter than the current Mobile Launch Platforms (MLPs) that used to host the Space Shuttle.

With the giant Launch Umbilical Tower (LUT), the total weight of the structure is around 9.5 million pounds, compared to the 8.2 million pounds for just the Shuttle’s MLP.

Fabrication of the 345-foot LUT begin in May of 2009, in preparation for being placed on top of the ML’s platform as the LUT’s base, prior to the addition of nine additional sections via a giant crane at the build site.

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The Installation of the first section was conducted on September 24, followed by a second section on October 15, a third on October 27, a fourth and fifth section in November, a sixth and seventh in December, followed by the final three sections, resulting all 10 sections being installed by January 28, 2010

This was followed by the installation of the launch mounts – highly specific for only the since-cancelled Ares I vehicle – on the platform in the Spring of 2010.

Although the ML is highly suited to the SLS vehicle, modifications – mainly to the Ares-specific elements of the structure – will be required, ahead of the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle’s debut in 2017. This would will be in addition to the umbilical set up required for SLS.

As such KSC managers have now sent out a request for information about potential sources for the labor, equipment, and materials to deconstruct and modify the existing Mobile Launcher for SLS – work that will be carried out at the ML Park Site 3 near the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).

“The work consists of removal and storage of existing system components, equipment, and materials for reuse/reinstallation; demolition of system components and structure not to be reused; modification of structural elements and installation of new structural elements; reinstallation of salvaged equipment and materials, and installation of new systems, equipment, and materials,” noted the information.

“Heavy structural demolition and construction is to be performed on approximately half of the existing ML base (MLB). Temporary foundations and shoring will be required to support the remaining MLB and ML tower (MLT) structure during deconstruction/demolition and reconstruction.

The information added that modifications to the MLT Electrical Equipment Rooms include removal and modification of Air Conditioning ductwork, and electrical and communication cable trays, and relocation of lighting fixtures.

The ML was taken for a test trip to Pad 39B this year, marking its full transition to the SLS program.

The ML was also suited to the Liberty launch vehicle, which lost out on NASA funding via the CCiCAP process. ATK’s in-line vehicle may still launch, and from KSC, but is now focused on cargo services. Such launches would take place from a modified Mobile Launch Platform (MLP), previously employed with the Space Shuttle Program (SSP).

(Images via L2′s Commercial Crew and SLS sections, with additional images via SNC and NASA.)

(With the shuttle fleet retired, NSF and L2 are providing full transition level coverage, available no where else on the internet, from Orion and SLS to ISS and COTS/CRS/CCDEV, to European and Russian vehicles. 

(Click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/ - to view how you can access the best space flight content on the entire internet and directly support NSF’s running costs)

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