United States Space Force Delays New Experimental Satellites Launching via United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket From Cape Canaveral – When Is the Next Target Date?

A U.S. Space Force satellite will be launched into space by the United Launch Alliance (ULA) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. However, the launch was canceled due to bad weather Thursday night and moved to Friday at 6 p.m.

The launch window opened with bad weather, according to ULA, but there was hope that things might get better before it closed at 8 p.m.

According to WESH, a satellite that will improve missile threat detection and tracking is part of the Atlas V rocket's payload.

The mission will launch two satellites into an orbit more than 22,000 miles (approximately 35,400 kilometers) above the planet, where they will spend at least three years developing new defense-related capabilities.

United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket to Launch Warning Satellites to Space

The Kennedy Space Center reports that ULA Atlas V will launch test warning satellites with new infrared sensors that can detect heat from missile launch plumes.

According to NASAspaceflight.com, they were hopeful that the new satellites would aid in identifying potential threats to the United States and its allies.

The Wide Field of View (WFOV) satellite was intended to improve missile warning capabilities being developed into new space-based detection systems for the Space Force's Space Systems Command, which is a major priority for this mission (SSC).

The second payload, known as the USSF-12 Ring, would carry a number of unnamed payloads to demonstrate future technology for the Department of Defense, as stated on ULA's website.

The Space Force's chief of satellite operations, Gen. John Raymond, cited missile detection and tracking as the organization's top priority, according to Col. Brian Denaro, program executive officer for space sensing at SSC. According to Denaro, the initial step in that priority mission area is WFOV.

How Engineers Will Improve Tracking Algorithms From Space

To improve detection tracking algorithms for the SSC's Next Gen Overhead Persistent Infrared program (OPIR), WFOV will be deployed.

The current space-based missile sensing infrastructure, which was created and optimized for tracking ballistic missiles with predictable trajectories, is about to be replaced by OPIR.

"We're looking at a range of targets and missiles in the hypersonic domain that is far more maneuverable. They're dimmer, harder to see, and that's requiring a new approach to how we both detect and then track all of these missiles throughout their flight," Denaro said in a briefing (per Space.com).

"We're seeing these developments both in China and in Russia, and at a very fast pace to which we need to develop these overhead systems that are able to evolve to keep pace with those changing threats," he added.

About Sensors

WFOV was created by Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing subsidiary, and will be operated by NASA's Ames Research Center for its three to five-year mission, the same Space.com report said. It houses an image sensor that L3Harris Technologies, whose representative also attended the news conference on Tuesday, provided under a different contract.

L3Harris' involvement in WFOV, according to Joe Westbay, vice president and general manager for imaging systems and space and airborne systems, will "significantly improve the ability to capture high-resolution imagery and other important battlefield information from space."

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, the next-generation dark matter-hunting telescope that NASA plans to launch in 2027, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and other space telescopes have all received optical system components from L3Harris.

The sensor on board WFOV is almost 6 feet tall and more than 365 pounds (165 kg) heavy (about 2 meters). The L3Harris payload can provide continuing intelligence about the battle area by keeping a constant eye on a region of interest, according to Westbay. "This is an improvement over legacy systems and will also provide better resolution sensitivity and target discrimination."

USSF-12 Ring is covered in less information. Northrop Grumman was the company that manufactured the spacecraft rideshare bus. According to Matt Verock, Northrop Grumman's vice president of space security, the satellite has six payload ports and its own propulsion system. A "standard ring" from the company's ESPAStar models, according to him, inspired the design.

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