The fifth Space-Based Infrared System satellite (SBIRS GEO-5) arrived at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday. It completed the first phase of its 22,300-mile journey to geosynchronous orbit.
The U.S. Space Force also awarded a multi-million dollar contract to United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch military satellites in 2023. The launch will take place from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Base.
ULA Launch: Military Satellite Arrives
The billion-dollar military satellite arrived on a C-5M Super Galaxy from Lockheed Martin's Sunnyvale, California, manufacturing plant linked to Moffett Federal Airfield. According to U.S. Air Force, C-5M Super Galaxy is one of the world's biggest aircraft.
Space and Missile Systems Center of the U.S. Space Force said the missile warning and defense satellite is now being processed and tested before being fuelled. Before liftoff on May 17, SBIRS GEO-5 will be enclosed in a payload fairing and hooked up to a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
According to Florida Today, the multibillion-dollar SBIRS constellation already has four satellites in geosynchronous orbit that track missile launches worldwide. The Defense Support Program, which has offered similar detection capabilities for nearly 50 years, is being replaced by SBIRS.
"In 2019 alone, SBIRS detected nearly one thousand missile launches, which is about a two-fold increase in two years," Tom McCormick, Lockheed Martin's vice president for Overhead Persistent Infrared Systems, said after SBIRS GEO-5 was completed in October.
In January 2018, the last SBIRS satellite, GEO-4, was launched from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas V rocket.
If all goes according to plan, ULA will fly Boeing's Starliner capsule on its second test flight - a redo after the first failed to meet any of its goals - no later than May. If the team needs more time, SBIRS GEO-5 will take precedence over Starliner and become its first launch in 2021.
This year, the Atlas V is scheduled to fly multiple missions from Cape Canaveral: three for the Space Force, two for NASA's research missions, and two for Starliner (one uncrewed test, one crewed test). Before the end of the year, ULA plans to show off its latest Vulcan Centaur launcher, which will replace the Atlas V and Delta IV High.
What About the Contract?
According to SpaceFlightNow, ULA's deal is worth approximately $224.3 million. Space and Missile Systems Center of the U.S. Space Force said the USSF-112 mission will launch in the second quarter of 2023, while the USSF-87 mission will launch in the third quarter of 2023.
ULA CEO Tory Bruno said that each of his company's missions would carry their military payloads in "high-energy orbits." He suggested that the Vulcan Centaur would put the satellites in orbits with higher altitudes.
There will be none, two, four, or six strap-on solid rocket boosters on the Vulcan Centaur rocket. The first test flight of the Vulcan Centaur is expected for the end of 2021.
According to the Space Force, all task orders awarded to ULA include costs for "basic launch services and mission integration." The USSF-36 task order for SpaceX requires launch services and integration, while the NROL-69 task order only covers specific launch services. According to SMC, the NRO would cover mission incorporation costs separately.
The Space Force did not have any additional information about the satellites carrying on the missions.
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