The U.S. Air Force is having problems communicating with Space Based Infrared System GEO-1 (SBIRS GEO-1), the first satellite of the next-generation of missile warning constellation in geostationary orbit. In the meantime, SBIRS GEO-2 is scheduled to be launched from Cape Canaveral on March 19. “We had a very thorough examination of whether we were concerned about launching GEO-2 in [...]
Post Tagged with: “Air Force”
Atlas 5 Ready to Launch a Missile-Warning Satellite
Atlas 5 rocket is almost ready for a missile-warning spacecraft, after already successfully carrying out two satellite launches since the beginning of the year. “I don’t think everyone realizes what all is involved in launching 2 Atlas 5s, one off the East Coast, one off the West Coast, 11.5 days apart,” said NASA launch director Tim Dunn. The Atlas 5 [...]
Delta 4 Investigation Uncovers Anomaly Sequence; X-37B Cleared for Launch
On October 4, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta 4 rocket took off, carrying a GPS satellite. Low thrust in its upper stage could have resulted in a misplaced satellite that day but for a successful compensation using reserve fuel. As a result of the anomaly, Delta 4 flights were delayed, as was flight of the X-37B which launches from [...]
Space Tourism, Just a Balloon Ride Away
As the Spanish team Zero2infinity shows, space tourism is more than just rocket science. On November 12 the start up company Zero2infinity successfully tested a balloon that should be able to carry passengers to an altitude of 36 kilometers by 2014. During these balloon flights the space tourists could experience the near space environment with a breathtaking view of the [...]
USAF General Warns on Budget Cuts
William Shelton, commander of the Air Force Space Command, warned against funding cuts to future space programs, with possible consequences to next-generation Space Situational Awareness (SAA) systems. According to Shelton the new Joint Space Operations Management System (JMS), designed to increase USAF capability to track objects in Earth’s orbit, is threatened with a major funding reduction by the US Congress, on the grounds [...]
Falcon 9, Delta 4 Investigation Boards Formed
On October 4, the launch of a GPS satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta 4 rocket experienced low thrust in its upper stage, requiring compensation using reserve fuel to put the satellite in its proper orbit. On October 7, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo ship to ISS experienced loss of one of its nine engines, resulting [...]
Classified Spaceplane Prepares for Third Test Flight
The US Air Force spaceplane X-37B is being readied for its third Orbital Test Vehicle flight (OTV-3) on October 25. The vessel, which will launch aboard an Atlas-Centaur rocket, carries a classified payload like its predecessors. “As with many other advanced technology test programs, some details of the mission and test requirements are classified or sensitive,” said Air Force spokesperson [...]
X-37B’s Return to Earth Steals Some of Shenzhou-9′s Thunder
Emerging from the shadow of Shenzhou-9′s triumphant launch, the USAF X-37B designated Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV)-2 returned to Earth on Saturday, June 16th after 468 days 13 hours and 2 minutes on a voyage that orbited the Earth more than 7,000 times performing a classified mission. OTV-2 received the command from its ground controller to return and initiated an autonomous [...]
Flying Near the Edge of Space for 57 Years
The enigmatic US Air Force space plane X-37B, widely considered to be a surveillance vessel, is making news once again with the announcement of its landing, now scheduled for July 2012, 17 months after its launch. But while technologies in surveillance are continuing to develop, a quiet movement is building in the US to turn back to the tried and true: the [...]
The X-37B Space Plane: Where is it now?
The X-37B space plane has intrigued the space community for years. Originally developed by NASA, the project migrated to DARPA and then to the US Air Force, where it now resides. The concept behind the X-37B is similar to that of the Space Shuttle whose body it resembles: a reusable orbital vehicle that can be used to conduct flexible and [...]
