First Delta IV Heavy launches from Vandenberg AFB

Blog Ed Note: According to a tweet fom Bob Christie NROL-49's official name on orbit is USA 224, carries and International Designator 2011-002A and Satellite/NORAD Catalog No. 37348.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- A Delta IV Heavy Launch Vehicle was launched from here Jan. 20.

It was the first Delta IV HLV to be launched from the West Coast of the U.S., and it carried a national security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

"The teamwork between the 30th Space Wing, the National Reconnaissance Office, United Launch Alliance and numerous other agencies was outstanding for our first-ever Delta IV HLV from Vandenberg Air Force Base," said Col. Keith Balts, the 30th Space Wing vice commander and launch decision authority. "I'm very proud to be part of the team who worked so hard to make this mission a success."

The Delta IV HLV launched from here is 235 feet tall and produced 2 million pounds of thrust.

More details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA-224

NROL-24 Launch Today - Possible SDS Commsat

Based on latest public information from the Cape, the launch of NROL-24 is still on. Launch time is 1704 EST (2204 UTC) from launch complex 41.

The following information was posted by the dean of the visual satellite observers -Ted Molczan on the SEESAT-L newsgroup late last night. Very interesting observation and thanks Ted for the insight.

NROL-24 is scheduled for launch on 2007 Dec 10, between 21:15 and 23:15 UTC, on an Atlas V-401 (Production number AV-015). The Atlas 5 401 configuration is a 4-meter wide payload fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a Centaur upper stage powered by a single RL10A-4-2 engine.

The most likely target plane appears to be that of 90028 / 04846A, believed to be an aging SDS communications satellite:

1 90028U 04846A 07319.29116097 .00001407 00000-0 46120-2 0 06
2 90028 64.2504 305.9703 7445669 256.2170 103.7830 2.00633719 06

The most recent similar launch was NROL-1, aka USA 179 / SDS 3-4 / 04034A / 28384, on 2004 Aug 31, on an Atlas 2AS.

An exact repeat of NROL-1's launch, but targeting 90028, would result in launch on 2007 Dec 10 at about 21:57:28 UTC and the following orbits:

MES2
1 79000U 07344.96253472 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 05
2 79000 57.3981 308.5215 0001000 113.4954 176.8000 16.05000000 07

1st ascending node
1 79001U 07344.97396991 .00017925 00000-0 14828-2 0 00
2 79001 57.3981 308.5150 5327478 293.4985 20.3013 5.13214280 05

USA 179 remained in the 5.13 rev/d intermediate orbit for about 7 days, before manoeuvring to its Molniya orbit.

Since NROL-24's booster has about 35 percent greater performance than that of
NROL-1, it may not follow the same initial trajectories. Perhaps it will steer into some combination of a more nearly 63 deg initial orbit and a MECO2 orbit of much greater apogee. Upon receipt of the actual planned launch time, I will revise the above search elements, and possibly add others to help bracket the search.

The ascent trajectory will be north-eastward along the east coast of North America. If the launch occurs after sunset, as seems likely, then I will post estimated trajectory information.

The launch period is such that visual observers in parts of North America may be able to observe the Centaur's propellant dump soon after MECO2, as occurred with NROL-1.

And from Bob Christy via the SEESAT newsgroup:

USA-125/90028 is a second-generation SDS satellite. It is a spin-stabilised design with a de-spun aerial array.

Another piece of evidence that the upcoming NROL-24 is a replacement for this satellite comes from the fact that the de-spin mechanism of 90028 seems to have been turned off quite recently. The array is currently (2007 Dec 7, 16:00 UTC) rotating once every 19.8s. If it follows the lead of 90004 and 90020, friction will cause it to spin up and match the body with a rotation period near 5s.

90004 and 90020 each reportedly show visual variability with a 5s component in their light curves. 90028 may join them in this.

The evidence for the spin-up comes from radio observation. It was originally reported by Greg Roberts of South Africa 2007 Dec 7 and I confirmed it from the UK thanks to Greg's timely 'heads-up'.

Rocket fails to put NROL Spy Sats in right orbit

Name: USA 194 (NROL-30/NOSS 3-4 Mission)
International Desig: 2007-027A
SSC #: 31701
Launch Date/Time: 15 Jun 2007/1512 UTC
Launch Site: USAF Eastern Test Range
Launcher: Atlas 5/Centaur Upper Stage
Note: US Air Force Space Command only shows one payload associated with this launch, but there should be two payloads and the rocket bodies.

From the AGI Launch Notification Service:
"An Atlas V rocket blasted out of Cape Canaveral this morning carrying a pair of top-secret spy satellites believed to be used to track ships at sea.

"The rocket's first stage is performed perfectly as it arced out across the Atlantic Ocean, cutting across a nearly-clear blue sky. At payload fairing separation, the National Reconnaissance Office cut public access to the mission control loops so officials could begin working with the deployment of the classified spacecraft.

"The magazine Aviation Week & Space Technology reports that the secret spacecraft are two satellites intended to track ships moving at sea, including those that might hint at terrorist activities or Chinese or Iranian naval tactics. They are being launched for the National Reconnaissance Office."

Amateur video of this military launch can be seen at http://youtube.com/watch?v=KCmPM16lKLM. Latest elsets at the end of story below.

The story below is an update on the mission courtesy of Florida Today.

Rocket fails to put craft in right orbit - Satellites required to boost selves
By John Kelly, Florida Today

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070616/NEWS02/706160326

A pair of top-secret ocean surveillance spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral on Friday morning, but the Atlas 5 rocket's upper stage failed to deliver them to the targeted orbit.

The Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office, the clandestine agency in charge of the United States' spy satellites, confirmed a performance problem with the Centaur upper stage of the Atlas 5 rocket.

However, the NRO said it is "confident in the performance of its mission."

The trade publication Aviation Week & Space Technology offered details.

The magazine said the two spacecraft, which it identified as ocean surveillance satellites, separated from the Centaur upper stage.

However, the Centaur's second engine firing did not last long enough, leaving the spacecraft short of the intended target.

The magazine reported the two satellites had enough propellant of their own to maneuver into the appropriate higher orbit.

If the spacecraft have to use their own propellant to boost their orbits, it will reduce the satellites' useful on-orbit lifetime.

The Atlas 5 blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Pad 41 at 11:12 a.m., arcing out across the Atlantic Ocean bound for a secret orbit.

Details about the spacecraft, flight path and target destination were kept secret by the government.

Early in the day, the government and Atlas 5 team reported the spacecraft successfully separated from the launch vehicle.

However, by late evening, a statement was issued, indicating that the rocket's upper stage did not perform as designed.

The Air Force said the Centaur "had a technical anomaly which resulted in minor performance degradation."

The Air Force and NRO would not elaborate. United Launch Alliance would not comment.

The Air Force, which manages the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program under which the Atlas flies, launched an investigation.

Friday's countdown was relatively smooth. Late in the countdown, the launch team studied an issue related to a liquid hydrogen valve and pushed the launch back eight minutes while engineers made sure that the problem would not hamper the flight.

The Atlas family of launch vehicles had tallied 80 consecutive successes prior to the launch of the super-secret NRO payload on Friday.

The Atlas string of successes date back to 1993, when an Atlas first-stage engine failure left a Navy communications satellite in the wrong orbit.

Back-to-back Atlas missions went awry in April 1991 and August 1992 when Centaur upper-stage engines suffered nearly identical failures.

Commercial communications satellites were lost on both missions.

A Centaur upper-stage failure during an April 1999 Titan 4 rocket mission left a $1 billion Milstar military communications satellite useless.

Latest elsets for the NOSS 3-4 mission courtesy of Daniel Deak and the SEESAT gang.
NOSS 3-4 (A)
1 31701U 07027A 07167.06697797 0.00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 06
2 31701 63.4420 44.9170 0300000 182.7408 177.2592 13.66600000 01
NOSS CENTAUR
1 70002U 07166.70111494 .00000011 00000-0 20000-4 0 07
2 70002 63.4420 42.8917 0107863 182.7436 177.3009 13.39714521 00

Latest USA-193 Element Set

Below courtesy of Ted Molczan and the SEESAT-L newsgroup:

USA 193 5.0 2.5 0.0 4.2 v
1 29651U 06057A 07012.69691925 .00019503 00000-0 15509-3 0 02
2 29651 58.4987 356.4057 0008821 89.8952 270.3144 15.70648197 05
Arc 2007 Jan 11.05 - 12.71, WRMS residuals = 0.012 deg

This result is based on a new observation, by Alberto Rango:
29651 06 057A 4541 G 20070112165621400 17 24 0609520+102040 28 S+045 05

SBIRS instructors hold keys to ground floor of new payload

Author's Note: I have additional coverage in this military satellite system at:
http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2006/11/on-orbit-checkout-of-sbirs-payload.html

by Staff Sgt. Don Branum
50th Space Wing Public Affairs

1/10/2007 - SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNEWS) -- Future Space Based Infrared System crews will get in on the ground level of Air Force Space Command's most advanced payload when they begin training at the 460th Operations Group's Detachment 1 on Jan. 12.

Training on SBIRS' newest satellite will give students a historic chance to involve themselves with a new mission at the ground level, said Capt. Paul Contoveros, Det. 1's chief of operations training and lead instructor.

"I think we're all really excited to be part of such a new, groundbreaking system," Captain Contoveros said. "It's a once-in-a-career opportunity.

"We'll be providing some of the most accurate missile warning data once this is complete -- even better than (the Defense Support Program satellite system)," he added. "DSP's a proven system, extremely useful. This will be a step above that; it will provide more honed, more accurate data."

The SBIRS satellite is parked in an inclined and highly elliptical orbit, which carries it from 300 miles above the earth to geosynchronous orbit and back every 12 hours. This gives operators better data at higher latitudes on the earth's surface. It is also more sensitive, allowing Airmen to detect fainter missile launches and pinpoint them with greater accuracy.

"In addition, we have a taskable sensor," Captain Contoveros said. "We can point the sensor wherever we like to capture targets of opportunity." The taskable sensor makes the new SBIRS satellite unique within AFSPC, something the captain said he hopes students will enjoy.

Ten Airmen from around AFSPC, many of them cross-trainees, will begin training on SBIRS. Training will begin Jan.12 for crew commanders and crew chiefs. System crew chiefs and mission-management operators and planners will begin training Jan. 16.

Each position will learn something different in the class, Captain Contoveros said. System crew chiefs will learn the ins and outs of the payload and ground system. Mission crew chiefs will learn how to translate technical data from the satellite into missile warning and battlespace situational awareness. Mission-management operators and planners will learn how to use the taskable sensor. Crew commanders will learn all other aspects of the mission and how to combine the parts into an effective team.

"We're working closely with our partners at the (SBIRS) Combined Task Force (in northern Colorado)," the captain said. Students will visit the task force for one week to learn what aspects of SBIRS have changed since the Det. 1 instructors finished their lesson plan. The instructors meet once a week with the Combined Task Force to talk about new SBIRS developments.

"The training will continue to evolve because we're still in a testing phase," he said. "Things change from day to day. Software continues to be honed. Testing continues to be successful, and as testing is successful, new tests begin, and procedures and software change depending on the results."

The new SBIRS satellite received a clean bill of health in November after space operators completed initial early on-orbit checkout of the satellite's systems.

The sensor is designed to detect ballistic missile launches such as ICBMs and Scud missiles. It can also detect large explosions and fires, which may make it a valuable tool for other government agencies.

A second highly elliptical-orbit satellite was delivered in September 2005; the launch date has not been released. Two SBIRS geosynchronous satellites are scheduled to launch in 2008 and 2009.

Expensive new U.S. spy satellite USA193/NROL-21 not working: sources

Author Note: So much for the theory by some that these US government satellites get their USA ### designation when they become operational. This mission a subsequent failure would indicate that theory is not correct. I originally reported on this satellite in this blog on December 16, 2006.

This satellite was USA-193/NROL-21 launched on December 13, 2006, at 2100 UTC (1600 EST) from the Western Test Range, Vandenberg AFB, California (Launch complex/pad: SLC2W) It carries an International Designator: 2006-057A (SSC #: 29651).

Many thanks to Ted Molczan and the SEESAT-L newsgroup for this heads up.

Here is an excerpt from the Reuters news article that broke this story.

By Andrea Shalal-Esa - Exclusive

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials are unable to communicate with an expensive experimental U.S. spy satellite launched last year by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), a defense official and another source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

Efforts are continuing to reestablish communication with the classified satellite, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but "the prognosis is not great at this point," said the defense official, who asked not to be identified.

"They have not yet declared it a total loss. There are still some additional steps that can be taken to restore communication," the official added, noting some satellites had been recovered in similar situations in the past.

The official said the problems were substantial and involved multiple systems, adding that U.S. officials were working to reestablish contact with the satellite because of the importance of the new technology it was meant to test and demonstrate.

The other source said the satellite had been described to him as "a comprehensive failure."

Vandenberg successfully launches Delta II

Vandenberg successfully launches Delta II

by Airman 1st Class Erica Stewart
30th Space Wing Public Affairs

12/19/2006 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- Vandenberg AFB officials successfully launched a Delta II rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload from Space Launch Complex-2 at 1 p.m. Dec. 14 here.

The Delta II, a 125.75-foot expendable launch, medium-lift vehicle, launches civil and commercial payloads into low-earth, polar, geosynchronous transfer and stationary orbits.

"(This) successful launch was accomplished from the outstanding teamwork from all organizations to include the 30th Space Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, NRO, and recently named United Launch Alliance," said Col. Jack Weinstein, 30th SW commander.

"Vandenberg ensures national security with each executed launch, continuously proving that no one does it better," he said.

"The perfect orbit insertion we achieved is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the professional Airmen of the 30th Space Wing," said Lt. Col. David Goldstein, commander of the 4th Space Launch Squadron. "The 4th SLS along with the 30th Launch Support Squadron and the Aerospace corporation conducted launch base mission assurance guaranteeing 100 percent mission success and we delivered; the satellite launched will provide invaluable intelligence data to support the war on terrorism."

The next United Launch Alliance mission from Vandenberg AFB will be an Atlas V in the spring.