SBIRS-GEO 1 - Atlas V 401 - Canaveral SLC-41 - 07.05.2011 18:10 UTC

[интересующийся]

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2011/0216_ss_sbirs.html

Lockheed Martin Completes Final Installations on First of its Kind Missile Warning Spacecraft
SBIRS GEO-1 Passes Final Factory Confidence Test in Preparation for Launch

SUNNYVALE, Calif., February 16th, 2011 -- The U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin [NYSE]-led Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) team has finished final installations on the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) satellite and successfully completed the spacecraft's final factory confidence test in preparation for delivery to the launch site.

SBIRS GEO-1, with its highly sophisticated scanning and staring sensors, will provide the nation with significantly improved missile warning capabilities and support other critical missions simultaneously including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness.

Final installations included the spacecraft's deployable light shade, solar arrays, thermal blankets, and flight batteries. The fully integrated spacecraft then successfully passed its final factory confidence test, the last major milestone in preparation for delivery to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., for a spring 2011 launch aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle.

"SBIRS GEO-1 will usher in a new era of critical missile warning capabilities vital to our national security. As we progress toward launch, the entire government/industry team is laser focused on delivering mission success for our warfighters," said Brig. Gen. (sel) Roger Teague, the director of the U.S. Air Force's Infrared Space Systems Directorate.

As the SBIRS GEO-1 spacecraft prepares for shipment, the spacecraft's flight software, designed to provide highly reliable command and control operations, will complete its final qualification testing, and the SBIRS ground segment team will conduct final readiness exercises in preparation to support GEO-1 launch and operations.

"The entire SBIRS team continues to focus on operational excellence as we prepare this critical spacecraft for launch," said Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin's SBIRS vice president. "We are dedicated to achieving GEO-1 mission success and delivering unprecedented infrared surveillance capabilities to the warfighter."

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, with Northrop Grumman, as the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.

Lockheed Martin's original SBIRS contract includes two HEO payloads that have already been delivered, two geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellites, as well as ground-based assets to receive and process the infrared data. The team is also under a follow-on production contract to deliver additional HEO payloads and GEO satellites, and associated ground modifications.

[pragmatik]

кстати, это будет какое по счёту испольование двигателя рд180?

[Frontm]

кстати, это будет какое по счёту испольование двигателя рд180?

Тридцатое

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

May 5     Atlas 5  •  SBIRS GEO 1
Launch window: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the U.S. military's first Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, or SBIRS GEO 1, for missile early-warning detection. The rocket will fly in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from April 30. [March 3]

[Salo]

http://www.spacenews.com/military/110305-sbirs-arrives-cape-launch.html

Fri, 4 March, 2011
SBIRS Satellite Arrives at Cape Canaveral for Launch[/size]
By Space News Staff

    The U.S. Air Force's first Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellite, GEO-1, arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., March 3 in preparation for an early May launch on an Atlas 5 rocket, prime contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems announced March 4.

    Once in geosynchronous orbit, the long-delayed missile warning satellite will join two SBIRS payloads hosted on classified satellites in highly elliptical orbits. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Lockheed Martin is under contract to deliver a total of four SBIRS satellites and four highly elliptical orbiting payloads.

    The first SBIRS satellite will be prepared for launch in the Air Force's former Defense Satellite Communications System Processing Facility, the press release said. The facility's electrical power supply, communications networks, environmental control systems and clean room areas were upgraded to process the SBIRS satellites.

    The Air Force is under pressure to launch the SBIRS spacecraft in May because the Atlas 5 crew must launch two planetary missions for NASA in the summer and fall. Any further delay would push the SBIRS launch into 2012, the service has said.


Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellite. Credit: Lockheed Martin artist's concept

[интересующийся]

U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin Deliver First-Of-Its-Kind Missile Warning Spacecraft
SBIRS GEO-1 to Be Processed for May 2011 Launch

SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 7th, 2011 -- The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin [NYSE] team has delivered the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) spacecraft to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., where it will be prepared for an early May liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle.

Полностью здесь: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2011/0302_ss_sbirs.html
Там кстати на фотке виден кусочек сабжа. Он и правда весь какой-то "угловатый" как на картинке у Salo.

[Salo]

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/04/01/01.xml&headline=Next%20Sbirs%20Buy%20Proposed,%20GEO-1%20Launch%20Readied

Next Sbirs Buy Proposed, GEO-1 Launch Readied[/size]

Apr 1, 2011

 By Amy Butler

The U.S. Air Force is planning to propose the purchase of the fifth and sixth Space-Based Infrared System (Sbirs) early missile warning spacecraft through a new process that calls for the unusual measure of buying two satellites at once.

This process, called Evolutionary Acquisition for Space Efficiency (EASE), is three pronged. It calls for stable funding of a block buy of two satellites at a fixed price; a parallel account to provide money for product improvement, and parallel work on the mission area's architecture — in this case, the infrared ballistic missile warning mission.

EASE applied to Sbirs "is what we've laid into the [future year defense plan]," says Erin Conaton, Air Force undersecretary. The EASE proposal for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) constellation "was just at the right moment to start in '12. If Congress supports it, the intent would be to do it with Sbirs next year. Obviously, we need to get . . . a handle on the cost basis and start some of the negotiations to make sure we can get some of the savings we want out of it."

Congress requires a traditional multiyear buy — for example, of aircraft — to produce at least 10% savings. Air Force officials hope that applying EASE to existing satellite programs will save money from the total buy and provide industry a stable funding stream to reduce gaps in work.

The proposal for applying EASE to Sbirs has been reviewed by Air Force acquisition chief David Van Buren. It must still be approved, however, by Pentagon procurement czar Ashton Carter.

Program officials expect to brief Carter on the strategy this spring, says Col. Roger Teague, Sbirs program director for the Air Force.

The average price of a Sbirs geosynchronous satellite is $1.3 billion, according to Air Force officials. This does not include the massive development cost of the program. Lockheed Martin officials have previously said they plan to reduce that price to under $1 billion.

Sbirs GEO-1, the first of its kind, is slated for launch as early at May 4 from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas V rocket. It should be through an extensive testing phase and ready for operations within about 15 months, says Ray Yelle, missile warning and missile defense lead for Air Force Space Command.

GEO-1 will be the first of the Sbirs satellites slated to replace the aging Defense Support Program and provide early warning of ballistic missile attack. It will carry two infrared (IR) sensors — one a scanner and one a spot starer. These sensors can collect information in the short- and midwave bands. The payload, which is made by Northrop Grumman, also can see through weather to the ground, says Lockheed Martin Sbirs vice president Jeff Smith, using a specialized widened short-wave IR capability.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

May 5     Atlas 5  •  SBIRS GEO 1
Launch window: 1825-1905 GMT (2:25-3:05 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the U.S. military's first Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, or SBIRS GEO 1, for missile early-warning detection. The rocket will fly in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from April 30. [April 4]

[G.K.]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

May 5     Atlas 5  •  SBIRS GEO 1
Launch window: 1825-1905 GMT (2:25-3:05 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the U.S. military's first Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, or SBIRS GEO 1, for missile early-warning detection. The rocket will fly in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from April 30. [April 4]

А во сколько это по Москве?

[Salo]

22:25 - 23:05 ЛМВ.

[G.K.]

22:25 - 23:05 ЛМВ.

а где трансляцию посмотреть?

[Salo]

Ближе к маю узнаем. :wink:

[Salo]

AviationWeek.com: USAF Prepares For First Sbirs GEO Launch[/size]

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

May 6     Atlas 5  •  SBIRS GEO 1
Launch window: Approx. 1825-1905 GMT (2:25-3:05 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the U.S. military's first Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, or SBIRS GEO 1, for missile early-warning detection. The rocket will fly in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from April 30 and May 5. [April 14]

[Salo]

http://www.airforce-magazine.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Reports/2011/April%202011/Day13/SBIRS_041211.pdf

SPACE & MISSILE SYSTEMS CENTER (AFSPC)  
Los Angeles Air Force Base
Media Release      
   
SBIRS GEO-1 Fueled for Launch
 
LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, El Segundo, Calif. -- The Space Based Infrared Systems team passed a major milestone April 11 with the successful completion of the spacecraft fueling for the GEO-1 satellite.
 
Space vehicle fueling signifies all spacecraft preparations are complete, and the satellite is ready to be mated with the rocket for an early May launch.  
 
The final decision to fuel was given by Lt. Gen. Tom Sheridan, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center here, after several detailed readiness reviews were conducted in the months prior to beginning fueling operations.
 
"The joint government/industry team has made tremendous progress and established exceptional commitment in preparing the first SBIRS GEO spacecraft for launch," said Brig. Gen. (s) Roger Teague, director of SMC's Infrared Space Systems Directorate.  "The completion of fueling
GEO -1 is a strong indication we are moving quickly toward final preparation for launch."  
 
The SBIRS spacecraft propulsion system is a dual-mode design, which operates as a pressure-regulated bipropellant system consisting of fuel and oxidizer and a monopropellant system consisting of hydrazine.  Propellants include hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.  
 
In the bipropellant mode, the system operates with hypergolic propellants, hydrazine (fuel) and nitrogen tetroxide (oxidizer) for high performance during orbital transfer. Once on station, the system operates in monopropellant mode, using only the hydrazine as fuel for simplicity and reliability.

"Fueling of SBIRS GEO-1 is a major milestone, and I am extremely proud of the entire joint government and industry SBIRS team.   We have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the program in preparing this spacecraft for launch," said Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin's vice president and SBIRS program director.  
 
The next major milestone for GEO-1 is payload fairing encapsulation and transport to the Vertical Integration Facility where it will be mated to the top of the launch vehicle.
SBIRS replaces the legacy Defense Support Program constellation. The state-of-the-art SBIRS sensors will provide significantly enhanced capabilities to support four mission areas:  Missile Warning, Missile Defense, Battlespace Awareness and Technical Intelligence.  
 
The SBIRS team is led by SMC/IS.  Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, located in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the prime contractor.

[Salo]

http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

May 6     Atlas 5  •  SBIRS GEO 1
Launch window: 1814-1854 GMT (2:14-2:54 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the U.S. military's first Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, or SBIRS GEO 1, for missile early-warning detection. The rocket will fly in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from April 30 and May 5. [April 14]

[Salo]

http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/launches.php

5/6/2011, 1825-1905Z   SBIRS-GEO 1  Atlas V     Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

[Salo]

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2011/0426_ss_sbirs.html

Lockheed Martin-Built Missile Warning Satellite Encapsulated in Launch Vehicle Payload Fairing[/size]
Team Prepares U.S. Air Force's SBIRS GEO-1 for Early May Liftoff

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla., April 26th, 2011 -- The first Lockheed Martin [NYSE] - built Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous (GEO-1) spacecraft was encapsulated into its payload fairing April 20 in preparation for an early May liftoff aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

SBIRS GEO-1 will enhance the nation's missile warning capabilities and improve other critical mission areas simultaneously including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness.

The GEO-1 satellite includes highly sophisticated scanning and staring sensors that will deliver enhanced infrared sensitivity and a reduction in area revisit times over the current constellation. The scanning sensor will provide a wide area surveillance of missile launches and natural phenomena across the earth, while the staring sensor will be used to observe smaller areas of interest with enhanced sensitivity. When GEO-1 is launched, declared operational and its data is fused into the current constellation, SBIRS will deliver unprecedented, global, persistent, taskable infrared surveillance capabilities to the warfighter, nation and allies for decades to come.

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, with Northrop Grumman, as the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.


Shown here is the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile warning satellite during fairing encapsulation in preparation for an early May launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

[интересующийся]

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2011/0504_ss_sbirs.html

U.S. Air Force Poised To Launch First-Of-Its-Kind Space Based Infrared System Satellite

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla., May 4th, 2011 -- The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin [NYSE : LMT] are ready to launch the first Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous (GEO-1) spacecraft on Friday, May 6 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The launch window is 2:14 p.m. EDT to 2:54 p.m. EDT. A live launch broadcast will begin at 1:54 p.m. EDT and will be accessible via the ULA webcast.

SBIRS GEO-1 will enhance early warning of missile launches around the globe, support the nation's ballistic missile defense system, greatly expand our technical intelligence gathering capability, and provide enhanced situational awareness for warfighters on the battlefield.

"SBIRS GEO-1 represents the dawn of a new era in overhead persistent infrared surveillance that will greatly improve national security for years to come," said Brig Gen (select) Roger W. Teague, the U.S. Air Force's Infrared Space Systems Directorate director. "We look forward to getting this next generation system on orbit and delivering its enhanced capabilities to the warfigher."

The GEO-1 satellite includes highly sophisticated scanning and staring sensors that will deliver enhanced infrared sensitivity and a reduction in area revisit times over the current constellation. The scanning sensor will provide a wide area surveillance of missile launches and natural phenomena across the earth, while the staring sensor will be tasked to observe smaller areas of interest with enhanced sensitivity.

"SBIRS GEO-1 will usher in a new era of critical missile warning capabilities vital to our national security, and we are focused on delivering mission success for the warfighter," said Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin's vice president and SBIRS program director. "The dedication, talent and integrity of the entire SBIRS team has been remarkable, and this launch will be a testament to every individual who has supported this vitally important program."

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, with Northrop Grumman as the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.

[us2-star]

Window: 2:14-2:54 p.m. EDT
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av022/status.html
http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/Flash_Webcast.shtml