SBSS = Minotaur 4 - 26.09.10 08:41 ЛМВ - Vandenberg

[Liss]

Э-э-э, я вижу два NOTAM на два последовательных дня, 26 и 27 сентября (по местному времени вечер 25 и 26):

!CARF 09/174 (KZLA A2348/10) ZLA AIRSPACE CARF NR. 1042 ON 2ROPS AIROP DO-1008 STATIONARY RESERVATION WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY
3418N/12041W 3418N/12043W 3434N/12039W 3434N/12037W
WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY
3255N/12109W 3409N/12049W 3406N/12037W 3252N/12057W
WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY
2003N/12426W 2131N/12408W 2122N/12320W 1954N/12339W
WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY
1328N/12545W 1748N/12452W 1744N/12429W 1324N/12523W
SFC-UNL WEF 1009260426-1009260530

!CARF 09/181 (KZLA A2372/10) ZLA AIRSPACE CARF NR. 1047 ON 2ROPS AIROP DO-1008 STATIONARY RESERVATION WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY
3418N 12041W 3418N 12043W 3434N 12039W 3434N 12037W
WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY
3255N 12109W 3409N 12049W 3406N 12037W 3252N 12057W
WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY
2003N 12426W 2131N 12408W 2122N 12320W 1954N 12339W
WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY
1328N 12545W 1748N 12452W 1744N 12429W 1324N 12523W
SFC-UNL WEF 1009270426-1009270530

[Salo]

Some nice info including the mission book PDF at http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/satellite/sbss.html

Launch mass is 1031 kg. I haven't seen anything giving dimensions of the satellite (height, width, solar array span etc)

SBSS is GO for launch!

Some other resources to look at for your questions...

Ball Aerospace pages on SBSS:

http://www.ballaerospace.com/page.jsp?page=234

http://www.ballaerospace.com/page.jsp?page=189

Orbital will be webcasting the launch starting 30 minutes prior:

http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/MinotaurIV_SBSS/index.shtml

Weather yesterday, today, tomorrow and Sunday is/should be very favorable.  Today was a beautiful day.

This is the 2nd launch campaign for SBSS, and all of the teams are very excited to finally see this great asset on orbit and the whole system up and running.

We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow, so no more posts from me aside from hopefully a yeah-hoo Saturday night.

GO SBSS!!

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/sbss/status.html

6:15 p.m. local (9:15 p.m. EDT)
We regretfully announce that an Air Force communications snafu is blocking reporters' ability to follow the launch countdown. That means Spaceflight Now cannot provide our comprehensive live coverage of this launch that readers have relied upon for years.

In fact, never before in our 11 years of reporting on Vandenberg Air Force Base space launches has this obstacle been encountered.

It is unfortunate that the problem is preventing the news media from adequately telling the story of this $858 million mission involving a critical military satellite launch.

Until the problem is corrected, we won't be posting any further updates on the SBSS mission.


4:45 p.m. local (7:45 p.m. EDT)
Launch of the Minotaur rocket is supposed to occur five hours from now. However, we've not heard any status on pre-flight preparations today or whether the countdown has started.

We will begin our live launch coverage when, or if, information starts flowing tonight.

[Salo]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/09/live-minotaur-first-space-based-space-surveillance-satellite/

[Sharicoff]

Улетело. Отработали 3 ступени. Баллистическая пауза.

[Sharicoff]

Отделение ПН.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/sbss/status.html

10:25 p.m. local (1:25 a.m. EDT)
Post-launch quotes from Col. Richard Boltz, Vandenberg Air Force Base's 30th Space Wing commander:

"SBSS will greatly enhance our existing space situational awareness capability, a capability vital to protecting our space-based assets," said Colonel Boltz. "This evening's launch was our third launch in eight days, and I am extremely proud of Team Vandenberg for all the hard work and dedication they've put into these important missions."


10:22 p.m. local (1:22 a.m. EDT)
Absolutely spectacular pictures of the Minotaur 4 rocket are posted.


9:57 p.m. local (12:57 a.m. EDT)
The rocket successfully achieved a great orbit with an apogee of 541 km, perigee of 538 km and inclination of 97.99 degrees.

[Salo]

[Salo]

:wink:

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/sbss/

[Pol]

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1436

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Sept. 26, 2010 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE] has acquired initial on-orbit signals from the first Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) satellite following its launch at 9:41 p.m. Pacific time on Sept. 25 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The signals indicate that the satellite is functioning normally and is ready to begin orbital maneuvers and operational testing.

Через 60 дней должны передать ВВС США

[KBOB]

А что за дым идет за секунду до "включения" двигателя?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D4hNm0FLmg

[Salo]

Наверное воспламенитель.

[Salo]

http://www.rian.ru/science/20100926/279372346.html

ВВС США запустили спутник слежения за космическим мусором

11:35 26/09/2010

МОСКВА, 26 сен - РИА Новости. Спутник слежения за космическими объектами - другими спутниками и космическим мусором - был запущен с авиабазы ВВС США Ванденберг в субботу в 21.41 по времени тихоокеанского побережья (08.41 мск воскресенья), говорится в пресс-релизе авиабазы.

Спутник SBSS (Space-Based Space Surveillance satellite - "спутник наблюдения за космосом") был выведен на орбиту с помощью ракеты "Минотавр-4" (Minotaur IV), запущенной с 8-го стартового комплекса авиабазы.

Новый спутник стал первым аппаратом, который может отслеживать космические объекты из космоса. При наблюдениях за спутниками и космическим мусором с земли часто возникают проблемы, связанные с погодой, недостаточной прозрачностью атмосферы. Кроме того, они могут вестить только ночью. Избежать этих проблем позволит наблюдение из космоса.

"Как ожидается, новый спутник позволит в 10 раз увеличить точность вычисления параметров орбиты космических объектов", - отметил командир 1-й авиакосмической испытательной эскадрильи на авиабазе Ванденберг подполковник Тим Харрис (Tim Harris).

"SBSS значительно расширит наши возможности по получению информации о ситуации на орбите, что жизненно важно для защиты наших космических аппаратов", - отметил командующий 30-го космического крыла ВВС США, отвечавшего за запуск, полковник Ричард Болтц (Richard Boltz).

Данные с нового спутника, помимо военных, сможет использовать американское аэрокосмическое агентство НАСА, в частности, для того, чтобы предотвращать столкновение МКС с космическим мусором.

Проблема засорения околоземного пространства вышедшими из строя спутниками и их фрагментами становится все более острой. Сейчас на орбите находится около 100 тысяч вышедших из строя космических аппаратов, последних ступеней ракет-носителей и разгонных блоков, а также разнообразные болты, гайки, пружины, скобы и прочие объекты, вращающиеся вокруг Земли со скоростью приблизительно 10 километров в секунду. Столкновение с любым из таких фрагментов, даже размером один сантиметр, означает серьезное повреждение дорогостоящего спутника, а скорее всего - его выход из строя.

C Земли с помощью радиотелескопов можно наблюдать только обломки размером более 10 сантиметров.

Ранее российские ученые из Физического института имени Лебедева (ФИАН) заявили, что ими разработан небольшой оптический датчик для поисков более мелких фрагментов космического мусора, который можно устанавливать в качестве попутной нагрузки практически на любой спутник.

[Salo]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=22132.msg640777#msg640777

Just arrived home from the launch.  Was at the Rod and Gun Club at VAFB which is on a hill maybe 4-5 miles north of the launch pad.  The USAF has some bleachers there, and we rented four or five mid-size outdoors screen and a Satellite van to watch the broadcast.  About 300-400 people there, mostly families but also a few VIPS.  DWT was standing next to me - we decided to stand behind the TV screens to avoid the glare.

From our location we were almost perfectly aligned with the launch plane - the trajectory did not deviate appreciably left or right.  We had no sense whatsoever of distance, so it appeared as if the rocket was going straight up.  The acceleration is amazing.

We followed it, naked eye, all the way to third stage burnout!!!  Everybody was saying the night was absolutely extraordinary - even thirty-plus year Vandenberg veterans had never seen such a thing.

A couple observations:

About ten minutes before launch, TC called "step 83".  made me realize how amazingly simple SOLID LV launch operations are.  On a Delta II, we would be at step 283, with 17 pending steps (Taurus II promises to be as complex at Delta II, countdown-wise).

The "quick look", IMU-based orbital injection data seems to indicate the injection apsis accuracy to be around 2 km (pretty good, but not completely unusual), but the non-injection apsis (derived from burnout velocity) ALSO to be within 2 km, MOST unusual for a solid fourth stage without a precision injection kit!!!  Apparently the fourth stage impulse dispersion was a 0.1-sigma case!!!

The cost of a Minotaur IV launch to the USG is about $35M (the first three stage engines are, of course, surplus); there are several "rumors" about the cost of the satellite, but it's probably about $500M - this may very well be the lowest LV to satellite ever.

The broadcast was being generated a few miles away, yet the best was to get the material to the viewing site was for the signal to go to Geosynchronous orbit and back... I guess that sez something for the value of space...

All and all, a very good day...

[aldin]

Спутник запустили. Теперь хотелось бы понять, какую именно информацию он будет получать: координатную или некоординатную. А для начала неплохо бы знать время пересечения  восходящего узла орбиты. И известны ли про него другие технические подробности?

[Брабонт]

Координатную. Фотометрия, скорее всего, как бипродукт.

[Salo]

http://www.spacenews.com/military/1002927-sbss-sending-signals-orbit.html

Mon, 27 September, 2010
SBSS Satellite Sending Back Healthy Signals from Orbit[/size]
By Turner Brinton

    WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force's first Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) satellite launched Sept. 25 and is transmitting signals that indicate it is functioning normally and ready to begin orbital maneuvers, prime contractor Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems announced Sept. 26.

    The long-delayed SBSS spacecraft is designed to use a gimbaled optical telescope to keep tabs on objects in geostationary orbit from its vantage point in low Earth orbit. The satellite was built by Seal Beach, Calif.-based Boeing and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo.

    The SBSS satellite was carried to orbit by an Orbital Sciences Corp.-assembled Minotaur 4 rocket that launched out of Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Boeing operators at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., received the first signals from the spacecraft indicating it is healthy and ready to begin a two-week check-out phase, a company press release said. After that, payload testing will begin, and Boeing plans to hand the satellite over to the Air Force within 60 days.

    This was the first orbital launch of the Minotaur 4, which uses refurbished U.S. strategic missile hardware for its first three stages with a commercial fourth-stage motor.

    The Minotaur 4 was supposed to make its debut a year ago until the Air Force discovered a problem with the rocket's third-stage motor. A gas generator continued to run after the motor shut off, creating residual thrust that is a problem for a rocket designed to put a satellite into a very precise orbit. New hardware had to be designed and built to correct the problem.

[Pol]

Рассшфровка патча за пуска SBSS:



Symbol of Heritage

•The Howling Wolf, a symbol of dominance and
strength, represents the mascot of the Space
Superiority Systems Wing, which is responsible for
acquiring SBSS for the USAF.

•The blue sphere represents the Earth; the yellow traces
symbolize the orbit track of SBSS.

•The seven stars represent Pleiades, a well-known
astronomical cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters.
It is among the nearest star clusters and is probably
the best known, as the SBSS mission will be to Space
Situational Awareness.

•The #1 in the triangle represents one team – Boeing,
Ball Aerospace, MIT/LL, The Aerospace Corporation,
Harris IT Services, and the USAF – and SBSS  
frst fight.

Vidi * Scio * Patrocinor
To See * To Know * To Protect

[Pol]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/sbss/101006update.html

The U.S. military's new space surveillance observatory has begun maneuvering toward its operational perch to track orbital objects without the hindrances imposed on ground-based monitors.


The Space Based Space Surveillance satellite successfully launched atop a Minotaur 4 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on September 25, reaching its temporary orbit 336 miles high.

"Since we launched, things have gone fantastic. We have kicked off a long series of firsts -- first acquisition, first commanding, turned on the buses, turned on the star trackers, moved the gimbals, turned on GPS. So things are ticking along and we're making great progress," said Lt. Col. Robert Erickson, SBSS Space Situational Awareness Squadron commander.

"This morning, we did the first of three scheduled burns to raise our orbit. There will be three sets of those, so there's actually a total of 9 burns. We've done the first one, we'll do the next one in a little bit and another one later in the day," Erickson said in a telephone interview.

The burns are designed to gradually increase the satellite's altitude to 391 miles, achieving the south-to-north, sun-synchronous mission orbit.

The launch was the maiden ascent for the four-stage Minotaur 4, a satellite-carrying booster created by Orbital Sciences Corp. using decommissioned Peacekeeper missile motors and a commercial upper stage. The Air Force has 8 more launches ordered, including a flight from Alaska next month.

Seeing the inaugural rocket blast off, however, came a year later than expected because of hardware and software issues. But despite the extended wait to work out the bugs, the new launcher debuted successfully and propelled the $858 million SBSS mission to space.

"From all indications, it was a flawless, flawless flight. It put us exactly where we wanted to be," said Col. J.R. Jordan, SBSS mission director. "All of the work that various organizations...and the mission assurance that we had paid off and gave us a very smooth ride and a very safe ride. I think it is going to turn out to be a very reliable rocket to put small payloads into orbit."

For Col. Jordan, having most recently served as vice commander of the Space Superiority Systems Wing in Los Angeles, the SBSS satellite launch caps a quarter century career in the Air Force. Today marks his final day on the job before retirement.

"It's been a great honor to be in the Air Force for 26 years. It was great to be able to go out on such a great mission and have it be successful," he said in a phone interview this morning.

Serving as the mission director during the countdown, Jordan oversaw the pre-flight preparations and gave the final approval to launch.

"The mood inside the launch room was pretty nominal. Everything went pretty smooth," he recalls. "When I gave my last 'go' command at (T-minus) 6 minutes, 30 seconds, from that moment on it seemed like time went by really quick until the launch itself. Then time slowed down."

The 15-minute trek to orbit crept by excruciatingly, knowing it was the make-or-break time after years of work.

"We'd been so involved in the rocket and some of the issues we had with the rocket. Every stage was slower, it seemed like, until we knew we had final separation. It wasn't until we have final separation that I actually felt like we'd accomplished something," Jordan said.

There's no margin for error once a booster leaves the launch pad. The rocket's programmed sequence of events had to occur perfectly, each stage must fire and drop away exactly as planned, and there's no way for engineers to intervene.

Both Jordan and Erickson spent more than three years on the SBSS satellite. But understanding the true impact this mission will provide in tracking the dangers to U.S. satellites is still to come.

"From a team perspective on the Air Force side, we see this as being a lot of capability that will add a lot of knowledge about what is up there in space. Obviously from a big picture perspective for the nation, we haven't collected any mission data yet with this satellite and time will tell. Frankly, I think as we use this satellite more, collect more data and we keep all this information and propagate the information, I think the nation will see that having (SBSS) up there is a tremendous asset," Jordan said.

Putting a satellite into orbit to scan the sky will narrow gaps in ground-based surveillance using telescopes and radars that's limited by geographic locations, nighttime viewing and the weather. SBSS data should improve tracking of space debris and guard against enemy threats to military spacecraft.

"I'm very confident that it's going to provide us flexibility with respect to tracking and detecting objects from foreign launches and the like, the ability to have a near real-time task-able system to chase those things is a tremendous advantage and it's not encumbered by terrestrial limitations of weather, day-and-night restrictions. It enables the (Joint Space Operations Center) to collect data when they need it, not when a ground asset may be able to see the target," Erickson said.

The first two months of the SBSS mission is spent testing the system and ensuring it meets the expected requirements. That's followed by a characterization period to define the satellite's capabilities. It should be operational in about six months, Erickson said.