Malfunctioning component delays satellite launch

By Michael Kleiman. 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFMCNS) — Officials are delaying the launch of Tactical Satellite-3 – which was scheduled to occur later in January – until repairs to a spacecraft avionics component, critical to the system’s operational capability, are complete.

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate here administers the satellite program, known as TacSat-3. The program team is working with the manufacturer to resolve the problem.

“We’re very disappointed in the delay, but the fix is necessary to assure the on-orbit performance of the satellite,” said Thom Davis, TacSat-3 program manager. “Had we not discovered and corrected this problem, we would have had a potential catastrophic mission failure.”

The satellite originated five years ago to address military requirements for responsible, flexible, and affordable spacecraft operating in the cosmos. It consists of three pioneering experiments: the Raytheon Company-constructed Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer hyperspectral imager; the Office of Naval Research’s Satellite Communications Package; and AFRL’s Space Avionics Experiment. The trio of payloads will offer real-time imagery (within 10 minutes of collection), sea-based information transmitted from ocean buoys and plug-and-play avionics to support the warfighter in keeping one step ahead of the adversary.

Project partners include AFRL’s Sensors Directorate, NASA, the Department of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space office, the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Development and Test Wing, Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Air Force Space Command, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

When ready, TacSat-3’s launch will occur at NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility in Wallops Island. Va.

Technical issues, more tests delay Tactical Satellite-3’s liftoff

Integration of the modular bus components on Tactical Satellite-3 is photographed at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate, located at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. (Air Force photo)

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFMCNS) — The timeless saying every gray cloud has a silver lining aptly fits the Tactical Satellite-3 program during the past 60 days.

Initially scheduled to launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Va., in October, TacSat-3’s liftoff is now scheduled for January 2009 after the project team discovered, and then fixed, problems with the spacecraft’s Star Tracker apparatus. The team subsequently required additional time to evaluate the final version of flight software to ensure smooth operations during the one-year mission.

“We experienced a launch slip due to technical issues with the Star Tracker, which required modifications to the satellite and we also needed some extra time to finish baseline functional testing of the flight software,” said Thom Davis, TacSat-3 program manager. The program is part of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland AFB. “The new launch date allows additional contingency for completing remaining testing requirements before shipping TacSat-3 to Wallops Island.”

TacSat-3’s Star Tracker unit will provide position updates to maneuver the 880-pound satellite to the precise location for mission operations. Scenario testing being performed on the spacecraft’s computer system through November will enhance that critical process. Once software assessments are accomplished, the program will conduct mission operations planning and dress rehearsals at the Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Development and Test Wing at Kirtland AFB. In mid-December, TacSat-3 will be shipped to the liftoff site.

“We’re very disappointed at the program delays, but our testing has allowed us to fix problems that might have occurred shortly after liftoff,” Mr. Davis said. “I am now more confident that all TacSat-3 components will operate efficiently after launch.”

Established in 2004 to address military requirements for responsible, flexible, and affordable spacecraft operating in the cosmos, TacSat-3, administered by AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate, features three revolutionary trials: the Raytheon Company-built Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer hyperspectral imager, the Office of Naval Research’s Satellite Communications Package, and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Avionics Experiment. The trio of payloads will offer real-time imagery (within 10 minutes of collection), sea-based information transmitted from ocean buoys and plug-and-play avionics to assist the warfighter in keeping one step ahead of the adversary.

Project partners include AFRL’s Sensors Directorate, the National Air and Space Intelligence center, the Dept. of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space office, SMC’s SDTW, Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Air Force Space Command, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Satellite’s data collection will support warfighter

By Michael Kleiman, 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFMCNS) — Tactical Satellite-3’s scheduled October mission is set to demonstrate rapid data collection and transmission to the combatant commander in the theater of interest.

During Tactical Satellite-3’s upcoming flight, a new capability of employing a hyperspectral imager with a space-based, onboard processor to obtain and send images within minutes to the warfighter on the ground will be tested. Raytheon constructed the Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer, or ARTEMIS, hyperspectral imager.

Designated as the satellite’s main demonstration, the ARTEMIS hyperspectral imager payload will provide target detection and identification information, as well as battlefield preparation and combat assessment data, within 10 minutes of its collection.

“The ARTEMIS sensor can identify characteristics by seeing through camouflage and foliage,” said Thom Davis, TacSat-3 program manager. “It can also recognize physical characteristics such as oil and paint. It will also demonstrate its ability to provide real-time information to the warfighter via a text message or on a laptop computer. With the data supplied by the spacecraft, the commander in the theater of interest can determine if the object is something to be concerned about or a decoy.”

A second payload -- the Office of Naval Research’s satellite communications package – will employ sea-based buoys as data sites. The Satellite Communications Package experiment will collect information from the ocean equipment and transmit it to a ground station as another communicative tool to enhance the warfighter’s ability to stay ahead of an adversary.

The satellite’s third payload – Air Force Research Laboratory’s space avionics experiment -- will involve plug-and-play avionics, which features reprogrammable parts to link the payload and the satellite structure.

The TacSat-3 spacecraft is a pioneer of the emerging operationally responsive space program, and designed to meet the needs of U.S. forces for flexible, affordable and responsive satellite systems. The TacSat-3 program is a joint effort of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Air Force Space Command, the Department of Defense's Operationally Responsive Space Office, the Office of Naval Research, and AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland AFB.

The October launch will occur at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va.