SBIRS-GEO 2 - Atlas V 401 - 19.03.2013 21:21 UTC - Canaveral SLC-41

[Salo]

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/sbirs-high.htm

SBIRS-GEO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5


SBIRS-GEO [Lockheed Martin]

SBIRS-GEO (Space Based Infra Red Sensor - Geostationary) is the geostationary component of the SBIRS-High program, which will replace the DSP system of early warning satellites in providing early warning for Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launches.

The SBIRS sensors are designed to provide greater flexibility and sensitivity than DSP and can detect short-wave and expanded mid-wave infrared signals allowing the system to perform a broader set of missions. These enhanced capabilities will result in improved prediction accuracy for global strategic and tactical warfighters.

The SBIRS-GEO spacecraft is a 3-axis stabilized A2100M platform with a scanning sensor and a staring sensor. Sensor pointing is accomplished with pointing mirrors within the telescopes. The GEO scanning sensor will provide a shorter revisit time than DSP over its full field of view, while the staring sensor will be used for step-stare or dedicated stare operations over smaller areas.

On Oct. 3, 1996, the SBIRS High program received approval from the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, Dr Paul Kaminski. The SBIRS High Component element, featuring a mix of Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (SBIRS-GEO) satellites, Highly Elliptical Earth Orbit (SBIRS-HEO) payloads on other satellites, and a new consolidated Ground Processing station, will incrementally replace the existing DSP infrastructure over the FY99 - FY03 time frame. This element is the first of two planned elements which will provide an enhanced follow-on capability to the current DSP system. The second element, commonly known as the Low Component, has been designated as a Major Defense Acquisition Program but is being developed as an integral part of the overall SBIRS "System of Systems" development concept.

The EMD contract for SBIRS High was awarded to Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space as the prime contractor on 8 Nov 1996. Lockheed's team-members include Aerojet and Lockheed Martin Federal Systems to provide satellite control, mission data processing and telemetry and tracking and operations, Northrop Grumman to provide primary infrared sensor payload and Honeywell for on-board data processing. This contract value is $1.8B for High Component work spanning the next 10 years.

In late 2005, the SBIRS-High program has been curtailed to no more than three satellites due to skyrocketing costs, but this decision was reversed later, as there was no viable alternative to SBIRS-GEO. In June 2009 the third satellite was ordered. In January 2011, GEO-4 was ordered along with long lead items for GEO-5. In October 2012 Lockheed Martin was awarded an US$82 million contract to begin initial work on the fifth and sixth geosynchronous satellites.

Nation:    USA
Type / Application:    Early Warning
Operator:    USAF
Contractors:    Lockheed Martin
Equipment:    2 SBIRS sensors (scanning and staring)
Configuration:    A2100M
Propulsion:    LEROS-1C
Power:    2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
Lifetime:    
Mass:    ~ 4500 kg
Orbit:    GEO

[Salo]

14 марта.

[Salo]

20 марта около 05:00 ЛМВ.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av037/stacking.html#.USKtQfK55eE

Atlas 5 rocket preparing for its third launch of the year
BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: February 18, 2013

After successfully carrying out two high-profile satellite launches for NASA in the opening weeks of the year, the Atlas 5 rocket program has stacked its third booster of 2013 to deploy a critical missile-warning spacecraft for the Pentagon.


File image of Centaur being hoisted atop Atlas first stage. Credit: NASA-KSC
 
The second Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, or SBIRS GEO 2 for short, will be hauled into orbit atop an Atlas 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 19.

It has been a hectic start to the year for United Launch Alliance and its Atlas 5 fleet, completing the quickest-ever pre-flight campaign in January at just 27 days from the start of stacking until liftoff of NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite K on Jan. 30.

That was followed a mere 12 days later by NASA's first Atlas 5 mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California that put the Landsat Data Continuity Mission spacecraft into orbit to extend the four-decade legacy of environmental monitoring by the satellite series.

"I don't think everyone realizes what all is involved in launching two Atlas 5s, one of the East Coast, one off the West Coast, 11.5 days apart," said NASA launch director Tim Dunn.

"Tremendous teamwork between the NASA (Launch Services Program) team, the spacecraft teams and especially United Launch Alliance. To review all of the data, to disposition all of the data observations, just exceptional work."

Next up, SBIRS GEO 2 will join the Air Force's constellation of missile launch detection observatories flying 22,300 miles above Earth that provide a constant vigil to warn of incoming threats.

Built by Lockheed Martin, SBIRS is the next-generation system replacing the Defense Support Program satellites and their scanning infrared telescopes. The new birds offer increased sensitivity and the ability to stare at a specific spot on the globe.

The first SBIRS GEO was deployed in May 2011.

The Atlas 5 first stage and Centaur upper stage were delivered from the Decatur manufacturing plant to the Cape for the SBIRS launch, which will be the 37th flight of the vehicle and the 12th for the Defense Department.

The bronze first stage with its RD-180 main engine was brought to the Vertical Integration Facility last Thursday for hoisting aboard the mobile launch platform.

After installing the interstage adapter atop the stage, the Centaur with its RL10 engine was lifted into position Monday for the basic buildup of the rocket.

It is the 401-version of the Atlas 5, which uses no strap-on solid rocket boosters. A four-meter-diameter payload fairing will shroud the satellite for launch.


Artist's concept of SBIRS GEO. Credit: Lockheed Martin
 
The spacecraft was shipped to the Florida spaceport aboard a C-5 aircraft from Lockheed Martin's Sunnyvale, Calif., factory on Jan. 11. It has been undergoing final testing in preparation for fueling and encapsulation in the rocket's nose cone. The craft will be delivered to the VIF for mating atop the Centaur in early March.

"We performed a disciplined integration and test campaign for GEO-2 and are now looking forward to successfully launching this spacecraft to ultimately help protect our nation and allies with unprecedented global, persistent infrared surveillance capabilities," Jeff Smith, vice president of Lockheed Martin's Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) mission area, said at the time of shipment.

"As we continue to produce SBIRS assets, we expect to drive even greater efficiency into our operations to reduce costs for the government while still ensuring mission success."

ULA hopes to conduct 8 Atlas 5 launches this year, including three more for the Air Force, a classified NRO mission and sending NASA's MAVEN atmospheric spacecraft to orbit Mars.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av037/payload.html#.UTl0rTe55eE

Atlas 5 fitted with satellite payload for next launch
BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: March 7, 2013

An Air Force surveillance satellite and its United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 booster were joined together today as the duo targets a March 19 blastoff fr om Cape Canaveral.

Fitting a payload atop a towering rocket is the sure sign a launch is right around the corner, and that milestone was achieved this morning at Complex 41.


File image of Atlas payload being hoisted for attachment. Credit: United Launch Alliance

It is the second Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, or SBIRS GEO 2, for the U.S. military's network of missile early-warning detection spacecraft. The SBIRS project is advancing the heritage capabilities of the aging Defense Support Program satellites from the Cold War focus on intercontinental ballistic missiles to today's short-range missile threats by incorporating new technologies to make quicker detections of fainter objects.

Orbiting high above Earth, these spacecraft are designed as a "silent safety net" to spot hostile missiles launches that warfighters can take defensive measures against. The system determines the trajectory and wh ere a missile is aiming to hit, giving the necessary alert to intercept the incoming weapon.

The Pentagon calls SBIRS and missile-warning one of the nation's highest priority space programs.

The Atlas 5 is scheduled for blastoff March 19 at 5:21 p.m. EDT (2121 GMT) at the opening of a 40-minute launch opportunity that extends to 6:01 p.m. EDT (2201 GMT).

Firing on its RD-180 kerosene-fueled main engine, the 19-story rocket will head eastward from the Florida coastline en route to a standard geosynchronous transfer orbit to deploy the 10,000-pound payload.

The bronze first stage, which gains an icy white coat during the countdown as supercold liquid oxygen gets loaded inside, will burn for four minutes before retro-thrusters assist in the separation event.

The foam-covered Centaur upper stage then takes over, lighting its cryogenic RL10 engine to consume liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen during a pair of burns that accelerate the payload into its desired drop off orbit.

As soon as the first firing gets underway, the aluminum nose cone shrouding the satellite will be jettisoned in clamshell fashion, the two halves peeling away from the rocket.


File image of SBIRS GEO 1 being encapsulated in the rocket's nose cone. Credit: Lockheed Martin
 
SBIRS GEO 2 arrived at the Cape in January to undergo final testing, the loading of maneuvering fuel and encapsulation within the nose cone at a processing facility cleanroom.

The payload was hauled out the Vertical Integration Facility this morning and hoisted into the assembly building for mating to the Centaur.

The shroud, known in Atlas parlance as the "large payload fairing" option for mission designers to select, is 14 feet in diameter and 39 feet tall. It gives the Atlas 5 an overall height of 189 feet for launch.

Once Centaur is up and running and the fairing is separated, the upper stage performs an 11-minute initial burn that injects the vehicle into a preliminary parking orbit.

A quiet coast phase lasts for 9 minutes over the equatorial Atlantic before the RL10 is restarted about 24 minutes into the flight. The second burn, running four minutes in length, boosts the payload into a highly elliptical orbit of 22,237 statute miles at its high point and 115 miles at its closest point to Earth and tilted 22 degrees to the equator.

The rocket releases the satellite 43 minutes after launch, completing the third Atlas flight of the year and the fourth in the past four months.

Built by Lockheed Martin, SBIRS GEO 2 will perform its own maneuvering into a circular geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles above the planet for checkout and commissioning into the nation's missile-warning constellation.

[Salo]

20 марта 01:21-02:01 ЛМВ.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av037/preview.html#.UUZHaze55eE

New security satellite will peer down on Earth
BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: March 17, 2013

Highly sophisticated infrared eyes to spot incoming enemy missiles against the United States and its allies will rocket into space Tuesday atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 booster fr om Cape Canaveral.


An artist's concept of the SBIRS GEO satellite deployed in space. Credit: Lockheed Martin
 
Destined for a classified position somewhere in orbit 22,300 miles above the planet, the Air Force's second Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, known as SBIRS GEO 2 for short, will further upgrade the nation's surveillance to detect and track missile launches around the globe.

"Our ability to provide strategic missile warning is critical to the nation's survival," says Gen. William Shelton, leader of Air Force Space Command.

Спойлер

Devised in the Cold War to provide warning of intercontinental ballistic missiles launched at the U.S., this national security space project has broaden to cover short-range missiles and threats facing troops on the modern day battlefield.

"I would argue that the nation's missile warning system is critical now, or perhaps even more so, than it was even during Cold War," said Col. Jim Planeaux, director of the Infrared Space Systems Directorate at the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center.

"Certainly strategic and tactical missile threats have proliferate in both number and type, (and) the number of countries that own these systems has increased. So with SBIRS our core mission continues to be that missile warning, and we're modernizing the nation's systems so that we remain highly capable against today's threats, just as we have through the 40 years of DSP legacy, and we'll continue to meet the needs of our national leadership, decision makers, our warfighters and our allies."

Once the system detects a target, it determines the flight trajectory and wh ere a hostile missile will hit, giving warfighters the necessary alert to intercept the weapon as part of the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide and Act). The satellite launching Tuesday will work to expedite that time-critical sequence by identifying faint missiles faster and allowing forces to engage sooner.

[свернуть]

GEO 2 in the satellite production factory. Credit: Lockheed Martin
 

Спойлер

In 2011, early-warning surveillance was used "to alert our forces and those of our global partners to nearly 200 missile launches and to report an additional 7,100 special infrared events. And I believe with some of the activity we're seeing around the world even this year, we're seeing an increase in the number of global missile launches," Planeaux said.

On Friday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced deployment of additional missile interceptors in Alaska to guard against increased threats fr om North Korea and Iran.

"The United States has missile defense systems in place to protect us from lim ited ICBM attacks, but North Korea in particular has recently made advances in its capabilities and has engaged in a series of irresponsible and reckless provocations," Hagel said.

Starting in 1970, the Pentagon deployed a long line of spinning satellites for the Defense Support Program, or DSP. The infrared telescopes continuously scanned the globe looking for the super-heated exhaust plumes emitted by missiles, allowing that information to sound the alarm for the nation's leadership and military commanders.

By the mid 1990s, the Air Force sel ected Lockheed Martin to develop the Space Based Infrared System and use new technology to greatly advance the monitoring efforts by make quicker detections of dimmer objects.

The new system would fly "hosted" surveillance payloads on secret spy satellites in highly inclined Earth orbits to observe the northern latitudes and dedicated SBIRS spacecraft parked in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 above the equator for mid-latitude coverage.

And unlike the previous generation of Defense Support Program missile warning satellites that have only scanning sensors, the SBIRS GEO spacecraft would be equipped with two Short Schmidt telescopes for both scanning and staring instruments to increase the amount of reconnaissance that could be collected.

The windshield wiper-type scanner gives a wide view of the planet below and a the starer can be tasked to observe a very specific region for emerging threats and fast-moving targets.

Building the complex system, however, ran into lengthy delays and cost vastly more than originally envisioned.

[свернуть]

An artist's concept depicts a notional constellation of DSP, SBIRS GEO and SBIRS HEO platforms. Credit: Lockheed Martin
 

Спойлер

The first highly elliptical orbit hosted payload, known as HEO 1, finally went into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in 2006, a full decade into the development effort. HEO 2 followed from Vandenberg in 2008.

Getting the first GEO off the ground from Cape Canaveral came in May 2011, bringing the modernize enhancements to the surveillance network.

The second GEO awaits blastoff from the Cape on Tuesday at 5:21 p.m. EDT. (Live updates and streaming video)

GEO 1 has gone through rigorous testing and trial runs to prove its data can be trusted, and project officials say it should be fully accepted into the operational fleet later this year.

"Based on GEO 1's on-orbit performance to date, we expect GEO 2 to also provide exceptional improvements to global and theater mission capabilities to our warfighters and the nation," Planeaux said.

Lockheed Martin is building four GEO satellites and four HEO payloads, and anticipates beginning production of GEOs 5 and 6 this year, to replenish the orbiting constellation as aging DSP spacecraft fade out. The military won't say exactly how many remain in service.

"SBIRS improved sensor technology and ground processing capabilities enable us to respond to growing needs, evolving threats, and will serve us as the foundation of the nation's overhead infrared constellation for many, many years to come," Planeaux said.

[свернуть]

The shrouded GEO 2 is hoisted atop the Atlas 5. Credit: United Launch Alliance
 

Спойлер

The GEO 2 satellite was mounted atop the Atlas rocket on March 7, allowing the integrated systems test between the duo to be performed successfully. This past week was spent installing ordnance, closing out the rocket's payload shroud and buttoning up the vehicle's other compartments.

Mission managers conducted their launch readiness review at the Cape on Friday morning and granted approval for Monday's 10 a.m. EDT rollout of the Atlas 5 rocket from its assembly building to the pad at Complex 41.

Tuesday's countdown will start ticking just after 10 a.m. EDT, followed by the loading of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the rocket just after 3 p.m. EDT.

The day's launch opportunity opens at 5:21 p.m. EDT (2121 GMT) and extends 40 minutes to 6:01 p.m. The window moves four minutes earlier if the liftoff is bumped back to Wednesday for some reason.

Weather forecasters predict a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions during Tuesday's window.

It will mark the 37th launch of an Atlas 5 booster in the past decade, the 17th in the 401 configuration with a four-meter nose cone and no strap-on solid motors and the fourth Atlas flight in four months. It also represents United Launch Alliance's 69th mission in six years and the 29th using an Atlas 5.

The previous SBIRS GEO 1 was entrusted to fly on Atlas and GEO 2 is the rocket's 12th launch for the Defense Department. Including NRO satellite deployments, this is the vehicle's 19th in service to U.S. national security payloads.

The launch of GEO 2 will "take another big step in delivering the next generation of Air Force infrared surveillance capability," Planeaux said.

"While our current constellation of Defense Support Program satellites has served the nation and our allies well for over 40 years, SBIRS is bringing unprecedented new capabilities into service to support our mission areas, which are missile warning, missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness."

[свернуть]

An illustration shows the SBIRS GEO sensor systems. Credit: Lockheed Martin
 

Спойлер

Weighing about 10,000 pounds at launch, the satellite will be injected by the Atlas 5 into a standard geosynchronous transfer orbit with a high point of 22,237 statute miles, low point of 115 miles and inclination of 22 degrees to the equator. Separation of the spacecraft from the rocket occurs about 43 minutes after liftoff.

Fr om there, ground controllers will spend about 9 days performing 6 firings of the craft's main engine to circularize the orbit before deploying the appendages and commencing the testing campaign.

"We are obviously very excited for the launch, we're also challenging our team and we're confident we do this to achieve the (satellite's) checkout and certification in a little over 6 months," Planeaux said.

Built around Lockheed Martin's commercial A2100 satellite platform, with a 12-year design life, the craft is a clone of the GEO 1, having been built at the same time using the same parts. The craft are equipped with RH-32 radiation-hardened single board computers with reloadable flight software.

After deploying its pair of power-producing solar arrays for 2,800 watts, GEO 2 will have a wing span of 49 feet. The craft also extends a light shade for the payload and unfolds gimbaled communications antennas for secure, spot beam transmissions.

Its scanner and starer instruments, amounting to 1,000 pounds of hardware, have highly agile pointing mirrors and the dual infrared sensors that feature short wave, mid wave and see-to-ground spectral band assemblies.

"At a time when this capability is more vital than ever, the addition of GEO 2 will further enhance our nation's capabilities for early warning detection of ballistic missile launches around the globe, support our nation's ballistic missile defense system, greatly expand our technical intelligence-gathering capability and provide enhanced situational awareness for warfighters on the battlefield," said Dave Sheridan, Lockheed Martin's SBIRS program director in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Integration of the sensors and satellite for GEO 3 will be finished next year for launch in 2015, with GEO 4 following along about a year later in the sequence. HEO 3 is nearing completion in preparation for handover this year to the host NRO satellite. HEO 4's construction is progressing approximately in parallel to GEO 4, according to Planeaux.

[свернуть]

[Slaanesh]

А что за диапазон See-to-ground? ну понятно,что "до поверхности Земли", но разве ж и предыдущие поколения ИК-сенсоров не учитывали минимальный фон земли, им и так их 2,7-2,9 микрон (для DSP) позволяли "видеть" объекты на земле?
Или это вообще не ИК-диапазона и что-то, позволяющее смотреть сквозь облачный слой (как раз описывается высота 6,2км, ниже которой может видеть see-to-ground)...

[Space Alien]

На стартовой площадке...

[Space Alien]

  

https://twitter.com/ulalaunch

[Ded]

Slaanesh пишет:
А что за диапазон See-to-ground? ну понятно,что "до поверхности Земли", но разве ж и предыдущие поколения ИК-сенсоров не учитывали минимальный фон земли, им и так их 2,7-2,9 микрон (для DSP) позволяли "видеть" объекты на земле?
Или это вообще не ИК-диапазона и что-то, позволяющее смотреть сквозь облачный слой (как раз описывается высота 6,2км, ниже которой может видеть see-to-ground)...

Может быть "на фоне Земли"?

Такие датчики летали далеко не всегда.

[интересующийся]

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla., March 18, 2013 --- The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin [NYSE : LMT] are ready to launch the second Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO-2) spacecraft on Tuesday, March 19 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The launch window is 5:21 EDT to 6:01 p.m. EDT.
A live launch broadcast will begin at 5:01 p.m. EDT and will be accessible via the ULA webcast.
Featuring a mix of satellites in geosynchronous orbit, hosted payloads in highly elliptical earth (HEO) orbit, and ground hardware and software, the SBIRS program delivers resilient and improved missile warning capabilities for the nation while also providing significant contributions to the military's missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness mission areas.
"We understand the important role SBIRS plays in our national security architecture and the entire SBIRS team has worked tirelessly to prepare this satellite for a successful launch," said Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin's vice president of Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) mission area. "The dedication and talent of this SBIRS team is remarkable and we are keenly focused on delivering mission success for the warfigher."
Lockheed Martin's SBIRS contracts include four HEO payloads, four GEO satellites, and ground assets to receive, process, and disseminate the infrared mission data.  The team has also begun procuring long lead parts for the fifth and sixth GEO satellites.  HEO payloads and the first GEO satellite have already launched into orbit.
GEO-1 is meeting or exceeding performance expectations on its path to operational certification. The satellite's sensor pointing accuracy is nine times more precise than required and the sensors are detecting targets 25 percent dimmer than required with an intensity measurement 60 percent more accurate than specification.
The SBIRS team is led by the Infrared Space Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the SBIRS prime contractor, Northrop Grumman is the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.
 

 
 
 

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2013/march/318-ss-sbirs.html

[G.K.]

Артём Жаров пишет:
фотки

На самой нижней фотке стрелки в разные стороны   то есть в случае чего тягачи с ракетой не в сторону уедут а сойдут с рельс?

[Slaanesh]

Может быть "на фоне Земли"? 

Такие датчики летали далеко не всегда.

Так все DSP с такими летали, но у них это называлось below-the-horizon. Хотя я тоже думаю , что возможно имелось в виду именно это, хотя в ряде публикаций употребляется see-to-the-ground band.

[мастер_лукьянов]

Slaanesh пишет:
А что за диапазон See-to-ground? ...... (как раз описывается высота 6,2км, ниже которой может видеть see-to-ground)...

Наверное все-таки окна прозрачности атмосферы в ИК-диапазоне

[Dude]

речь шла об overhead non-imaging infrared (ONIR) sensor with see-to-ground capability. Заглядывает под облака 24х7 и выдает более точные координаты и тип\класс ракеты\самолета, если сможет определить по пятну, тепловому следу факела.

Так все DSP с такими летали, но у них это называлось below-the-horizon. Хотя я тоже думаю , что возможно имелось в виду именно это, хотя в ряде публикаций употребляется see-to-the-ground band

нет, под облачностью сенсоры DSP видели плохо, координаты места пуска определялись где-то после 30 сек от пуска или на высоте 7-10 км.

[Slaanesh]

Сомнительно это все же . Сильно вундервафельно: и сквозь облака смотрит и еще и на фоне земли определяет то же, что (по чувствительности) мог DSP. При этом учитывая что диапазон для дсп был выбран именно с учетом минимального фона земли- значит в другом диапазоне можно с ума сойти, очищая информативный сигнал от шумов ... 
ЗЫ: под тем, что на DSP такие были- подразумевал их ориентацию точно вниз (ну 4 градуса не в счет), а не под углом для наблюдения на фоне космоса above the horizon

[Dude]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Tactical_Ground_Station

давно считают число и координаты пусков тактических ракет, типа Скадов и Точек.и никто с ума не сходит.

[Slaanesh]

Это-то причем? Там сенсоры абсолютно те же самые, 2,5-2,7 микрон, это алгоритмический пакет просто другой, засечка идет все на том эе минимальном фоне земли.

[Dude]

о чем вы говорите, это в 90-х и сейчас сенсоры те же самые? Сама SBIRS, как система, появилась как реализация нового поколения IR сенсоров.