STSS Demo = Delta II 7920 - 25.09.09 16:20 ЛМВ - Canaveral

[Брабонт]

Международная группа радиолюбителей (Робертс, Гран, Кристи, Марш и Кеннеди) запеленговала пару STSS Demo на частотах 2247.485 МГц (USA 208) и 2247.485 МГц (USA 209), соответственно.

[Salo]

Фотогалерея со старта:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d344/gallery/index.html

[Con]

Интересно, а чем они собираются их тестировать. В пресс-релизах ничего не сказано о мишенях. "Минитмены" и "Трайденты" пускаются еденицами. Маловато, наверное, для тестирования системы. Есть ли данные о пролетах над полигонами РФ и Ирана во время проведения там ракетных стрельб?

[Liss]

Интересно, а чем они собираются их тестировать. В пресс-релизах ничего не сказано о мишенях. "Минитмены" и "Трайденты" пускаются еденицами. Маловато, наверное, для тестирования системы. Есть ли данные о пролетах над полигонами РФ и Ирана во время проведения там ракетных стрельб?

Да ладно, заложено два специализированных пуска.

[Брабонт]

Интересно, будут ли задействованы сабжи в сегодняшнем перехвате с Кваджлейна. Объявленное окно 22:00-01:30 GMT, в районе 23:10 пара хорошо видит пуск мишени. По данным Боба Кристи, ведущий КА сманеврировал 27-28 января. Кроме того, через пять минут над теми краями проходит STSS-ATRR. А вот NFIRE в схему не вписывается.

[Брабонт]

Испытание проведено  в 23:45 GMT, так что все STSS не при делах.

Какие ракеты участвовали в перехвате: http://www.mda.mil/news/10news0001.html ?

[Pol]

Фото запуска с Кваджалейна:

[Pol]

И еще:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/asd/2010/01/28/01.xml&headline=GMD%20Facing%20Countermeasures%20In%20Upcoming%20Test

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to conduct a flight test of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system Jan. 31 and hopes to execute the first-ever intercept attempt by the Airborne Laser soon after.

The goal of the GMD test, expected between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. EDT, will be to achieve an intercept against a new target, the Lockheed Martin LV-2, according to Rick Lehner, an MDA spokesman.

This will also be the first flight of this target type, an intermediate-range ballistic missile that will deploy countermeasures during the test. Last fall, program officials said this would be the most complex test to date of the GMD system. With a target launching from Meck Island and the interceptor boosting from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., the test will feature similar geometry to a launch from North Korea.

This flight test originally was slated for last September. An intercept attempt also was a goal in a December 2008 flight test of the GMD system against a different target.

But during that test the countermeasures developed by Sandia National Laboratories failed to deploy.

Following the GMD test, MDA will then quickly reset the team to prepare for the first intercept attempt of the 747-400F-based Airborne Laser (ABL), likely within one month. During the flight trial, the ABL will be pitted against two short-range ballistic missiles.

This first intercept test has been long-anticipated, having originally been expected in 2002. Though the Pentagon has dashed plans to buy a fleet of 747-400F-based ABLs with the current chemical oxygen iodine laser configuration, the test likely will provide data that could be used if the department decides to pursue a follow-on ABL effort.

[Pol]

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post:16575b23-e9aa-4605-b7a9-d5a7f405c582

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) test fired the rocket motor of a new Flexible Target Family (FTF) target vehicle.

The LV-2 target vehicle will be a two-stage launch vehicle that employs C4 rocket motors from retired U.S. Navy Trident missiles in both stages. MDA officials hope to use the FTF later this year for the first time as a target for a missile defense test.

The FTF program is designed to use as much commonality as possible in crafting targets for missile defense tests, eliminating maintenance hungry and out-of-date legacy systems.

The test took place Jan. 22 at China Lake Naval Warfare Center, Calif.

Below is a pic of the test (pardon the writing, please)



credit: MDA

Also, a graphic of the configuration LV-2



credit: MDA

[Брабонт]

Early March observations and pulsing (?) brightness of the STSS Demo-1

[Брабонт]

Подтверждение версии, подсказанной симулятором:

Как сообщает пресс-служба компании Northrop Grumman, в ходе проведенного 6 июня 2010 года испытательного пуска перехватчика системы ПРО GBI (Ground Based Interceptor) была также испытана космическая система предупреждения о ракетном нападении STSS (Space Tracking and Surveillance System).

06 июня 2010, 22:25 GMT




Не менее интересен и пуск "Минитмена" 16 июня 2010, 10:01 GMT



http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=196675

The Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstration program satellites, built by Northrop Grumman Corp (NYSE:NOC) and Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN), detected and tracked an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) launched on June 16 by the U.S. Air Force. The launch, designated Glory Trip 200GM-1, was the 200th scheduled test launch of an ICBM Minuteman Missile.

[Брабонт]

Сабжи задействовались и в испытании THAAD 29 июня 07:32 GMT, над Гавайями:

[Sharicoff]

http://www.aviationnow.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/awst/2010/08/16/AW_08_16_2010_p21-247313.xml&headline=STSS%20Scoring%20Incremental%20Testing%20Milestones&channel=defense

STSS Scoring Incremental Testing Milestones

Aug 19, 2010
 
By Amy Butler
Washington

After a rough start in orbit, two satellites launched last year to demonstrate the complex challenge of midcourse ballistic missile tracking are beginning to achieve some successes, according to Northrop Grumman, which developed the spacecraft.

Progress with the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) is a significant step in the Pentagon's decades-long quest to track boosting ballistic missiles from "birth to death," or from launch to, ideally, intercept by U.S. defenses. STSS satellites are uniquely equipped to address the challenge of following a warhead after booster separation, as it cools against the cold backdrop of space, a tricky task as infrared sensors are geared to lock on to the differential between a target's temperature versus the background.

The satellites were launched into a tandem formation in an orbit about 1,350 km. (840 mi.) above Earth in September, and they initially had problems transmitting data. In May, officials were focused on calibrating the two Ray­theon-made sensors on the STSS spacecraft. The first is a single-axis short-wave infrared aperture designed to stare down on the Earth looking for the bright heat plumes of a ballistic missile booster. The second is a two-axis gimbaled sensor capable of collecting data in the short-, mid- and long-wave IR bands; it also has a visible focal-plane array. This technology is optimized to follow the warhead after booster separation as it cools and careens through space. The tracking sensor is designed to capture the target and track it from a side axis.

The sensor calibration trials have led to increasingly difficult tasks in orbit that will culminate in a major graduation exercise by year-end when both STSS satellites will be expected to acquire and track a boosting ballistic missile during an MDA flight trial, says Gabe Watson, missile defense and missile warning vice president at Northrop Grumman.

During two experiments last month, STSS Space Vehicle-2—which is ahead of SV-1 in calibration—achieved incremental milestones needed to achieve that graduation exercise. During the first on July 19, SV-2's tracking sensor detected and tracked a U.S.-owned satellite, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 17. This is one of a series of Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites, and it acted as a cold surrogate against cold space. Watson says the tracking sensor followed the target in multiple infrared bands and looked sideways for the bulk of the engagement.

Though officials knew the exact location and trajectory of the NOAA satellite, Watson says the trial demonstrates the basic functionality of the sensor to follow a target. During an actual ballistic missile attack, each tracking sensor would be capable of following multiple targets and relaying the data to a ground station at Schriever AFB, Colo. Operators in the ground station then collate the data to form a 3D picture of the battlespace; intelligence collected from the multiple IR bands can also be sent to analysts at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, which builds profiles of ballistic missile threats. This type of infrared collector could also contribute to the bevy of MDA sensors geared to discriminate actual ballistic missile warheads from countermeasures, which are designed to fool sensors and misguide interceptors.

During another trial on July 23, SV-2's acquisition sensor detected a ground-based laser source from the Starfire Optical Range at Kirtland AFB, N.M. The sensor then handed off this target to the tracking sensor, which followed it as the satellite passed overhead. Watson declined to say how long a target on the Earth is visible as the spacecraft speeds overhead, but a program official previously told Aviation Week the viewing time is typically 15-20 min. This was the first such handoff between the two sensors for STSS "without prior intervention or real-time control," according to a Northrop Grumman official.

While data transfer is significant, it is also notable that the tracking sensor has demonstrated the ability to follow a fixed target on Earth (the Starfire laser) as well as the swiftly moving NOAA satellite. STSS satellites are not in a relatively fixed location like spacecraft in geosynchronous (GEO) orbit. So, the satellites are forced to precisely calculate where they are in space as they orbit and follow the target.

Earlier achievements for the acquisition sensor included spotting a three-stage Minuteman III ICBM, a two-stage Ground-Based Interceptor and a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense missile, all fired during flight trials.

Tests for STSS will continue to become more complex, leading up to the graduation exercise later this year. These spacecraft were designed for two years of in-orbit life, and officials see "no indication at this point that the satellites won't last longer than that," Watson says.

STSS emerged as an MDA program in 2002 after the U.S. Air Force shelved its predecessor, the Space-Based Infrared System Low, which was conceived in the 1990s as an adjunct to the Sbirs satellites now being built by Lockheed Martin for the ballistic missile detection mission in GEO. Parts for the satellites had been placed in storage until MDA issued Northrop Grumman a contract to ready them for flight.

Meanwhile, MDA officials are preparing for a competition to build an STSS follow-on constellation called the Persistent Tracking and Surveillance System (PTSS). The agency has set aside $1.21 billion through the future-years defense plan for this effort, but a formal request for proposals has yet to be released. In their Fiscal 2011 budget request, MDA officials said they hoped to conduct an in-orbit PTSS demonstration by 2014. However, MDA's plans for constellation architecture are unknown; global coverage would require multiple spacecraft and could be viewed by a belt-tightening Pentagon as cost-prohibitive.

Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Ball Aerospace have all expressed interest in at least a portion of that forthcoming work.

[интересующийся]

http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=211247

Northrop Grumman-Built STSS Demonstration Satellites Complete On-Orbit Calibration, Ready for BMDS Tests

REDONDO BEACH, Calif., Jan. 19, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Space Tracking and Surveillance (STSS) Demonstration program satellites are ready to fully participate in Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) tests after on-orbit calibration of the acquisitions and track sensors for both spacecraft was completed Nov. 3 by prime contractor Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), and infrared sensor payload provider Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN).

Calibration of those sensors was the last major step during the on-orbit tests of the space vehicles, which were launched Sept. 25, 2009, in tandem configuration from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

"We are confident that upcoming BMDS tests involving STSS will generate the kind and quality of data that will validate our projections of the value of space-based sensors for missile tracking," said Doug Young, vice president of Missile Defense and Warning Programs for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. He noted the data will validate models used to define an operational system.

"STSS brings unique capabilities to missile defense. It's the only system capable of tracking ballistic missiles through all phases of flight, starting with boost extending through midcourse and terminal phases," Young added. "In 2010, the satellites demonstrated many capabilities essential to performing their missile defense role in initial exercises, such as tracking U.S. missile test launches. While those were not operational tests, they point to the potential applications of this satellite technology."

Using sensors capable of receiving infrared radiation, the STSS demonstration satellites are able to detect missile launches, provide continuous target tracking and communicate with missile defense command and control systems. The STSS Demonstration satellites will be integrated into MDA's overall testing strategy that calls for multiple missile defense elements to participate in each test event.

"Integrated tests involving multiple BMDS elements will provide opportunities for STSS to demonstrate a wide range of missile tracking capabilities geared toward decisions regarding required future operational systems capabilities," Young said.

These capabilities include boosting missile detection and tracking; midcourse object tracking and characterization; missile track handover between the two space vehicles; and interceptor cueing via downlink communications to the ground station.

[Брабонт]

Как и предполагалось по времени пуска:

STSS Satellites Demonstrate 'Birth to Death' Missile Tracking

A pair of low Earth orbiting demonstration satellites built by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems for the first time on March 16 detected and tracked a ballistic missile launch through all phases of flight

[интересующийся]

Как и предполагалось по времени пуска:

STSS Satellites Demonstrate 'Birth to Death' Missile Tracking

A pair of low Earth orbiting demonstration satellites built by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems for the first time on March 16 detected and tracked a ballistic missile launch through all phases of flight

А вот здесь есть фотка:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=8882

[Salo]

http://www.militaryparitet.com/perevodnie/data/ic_perevodnie/1484/

Спутниковая система STSS сопровождала БР от старта до падения[/size]
13 апреля 2011 г.



«Военный Паритет». Два последних испытания космической системы слежения и наблюдения STSS (Space Tracking and Surveillance System, на фото) производства компании Northrop Grumman, выполненных в рамках разработки расширенной системы ПРО BMDS (Ballistic Missile Defense System-wide), показали, что спутниковая система может успешно выполнять обнаружение и слежение за баллистической ракетой с момента ее пуска и до перехвата («от рождения и до смерти»).

«Это произошло впервые, когда космический датчик отслеживал полет БР на всех этапах – от старта, маршевой траектории и до падения на Землю. Это означает, что мы теперь можем иметь возможность оптимального распределения ракет-перехватчиков для поражения целей на маршевом участке траектории, где объекты маневрируют», заявил вице-президент компании Northrop Grumman Дуг Янг (Doug Young).

Испытания двух спутников STSS совместно с ракетой-мишенью  Aegis Readiness Assessment Vehicle были проведены 9 и 15 марта. Спутники продемонстрировали способность обнаружить старт ракеты и ее полет вплоть до конечного участка траектории, когда мишень входит в плотные слои атмосферы. «Это историческое достижение для развития системы ПРО. Впервые космический датчик отслеживал полет БР от старта и до конечной точки. До сих пор для обнаружения и слежения за баллистической ракетой мы использовали комплекс датчиков, размещенных в космосе, воздухе, на земле и на море. Теперь мы видим, что два спутника STSS способны справиться с этой задачей самостоятельно», заявил менеджер программы STSS Дэвид Бладгуд (David Bloodgood).  

Система STSS продемонстрировала возможность использования спутников для обнаружения с особой точностью пусков БР и  слежение за полетом ракеты на всех этапах в реальном масштабе времени, что позволяет одновременно задействовать как региональные, так и стратегические системы ПРО.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Tracking_Ballistic_Missiles_From_Birth_to_Death_999.html

[Брабонт]

Но тем не менее,

MDA Drops Target-Acquisition From Next Sats

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) will not include a target-acquisition sensor in its forthcoming missile-tracking satellites, as part of an effort to streamline the system and control costs.

The agency's new design for its next space-based missile-tracking system will be simpler than the two Northrop Grumman Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) satellites now conducting a demonstration in space, according to MDA and industry officials.

[Sharicoff]

STSS Demonstrator Satellites, Built by Northrop Grumman, Track Short-Range, Air-Launched Rocket in Missile Defense Test

[Sharicoff]

И текст официального пресс-релиза Нортроп Груммана для истории:
http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=226850

STSS Demonstrator Satellites, Built by Northrop Grumman, Track Short-Range, Air-Launched Rocket in Missile Defense Test

NAVAIR SEA RANGE, POINT MUGU, Calif., July 19, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) demonstration satellites successfully acquired and tracked a short-range, air-launched target (SRALT) July 8 in a test that showed their ability to track dim objects that have extremely short flight timelines. The satellites were built by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), prime contractor, and Raytheon Company, sensor payload provider, for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The exercise verified target capabilities and did not involve an intercept attempt.

"Air-launched targets have a wide variety of trajectories. There's nothing predictable about their flights. The STSS demonstrators successfully tracked this target and collected key data about test conditions and the dynamics of air-launched targets that will be valuable for MDA's predictive capability," said Doug Young, vice president of missile defense and missile warning programs for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.

One single-stage, solid-fueled rocket was drop-launched from the rear of a C-17 cargo aircraft by MDA over the Pacific Ocean Test Range near San Nicolas Island off the Central California coast. The SRALT was selected as a target because it closely replicates realistic engagement scenarios.

"This was the first time the STSS sensors have been tested against air-launched targets, and they performed flawlessly," said Bill Hart, vice president, Raytheon Space Systems. "Against such short-range targets, split seconds count. That's why a near-immediate reaction system like STSS is so important to our national defense."

Plans call for the STSS satellites to continue on-orbit testing by participating in a series of performance demonstration tests with ground, airborne, resident space objects and ballistic missile targets to reduce the risk of an operational constellation of space-based sensors for missile defense.

According to MDA, the additional flight tests will demonstrate the ability to track various targets, providing critical demonstrator performance characterization while progressing towards closing the fire control loop with Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) interceptors using space-based infrared tracking.

MDA is operating STSS as an experimental space layer of the BMDS.  Using sensors capable of detecting visible and infrared light, the STSS satellite constellation is part of a collection of land-, sea-, air- and space-based BMDS sensors. They are gathering critical engagement conditions and empirical measurement event data, among other missions.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

CONTACT: Bob Bishop
         (310) 812-5227 office
         (310) 251-0261 cell
         bob.j.bishop@ngc.com