Lockheed Martin… Set For Space + Environmental Exam (Spacecraft)

[SatNews] The delivery has been made to Cape Canaveral by Lockheed Martin and the U.S.A.F.

The first geosynchronous (GEO-1) Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) spacecraft has arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, where it will be prepared for an early May liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle. SBIRS GEO-1, with its highly sophisticated scanning and staring sensors, will provide the nation with significantly improved missile warning capabilities and support other critical missions simultaneously including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness.

“Shipment of SBIRS GEO-1 is a testament to the strong government and industry partnership, and the hard work and dedication of the entire SBIRS team. We remain focused on achieving mission success for this critical program,” said Col. Roger Teague, the U.S. Air Force’s Infrared Space Systems Directorate director. “GEO-1 will play a vital role in our national security space architecture, and we look forward to getting this satellite on-orbit.” SBIRS GEO-1 will now be prepared for launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s former Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) Processing Facility, which was upgraded significantly in preparation for GEO-1. Facility upgrades were made to the electrical power supply, communication networks, environmental control systems, and cleanroom processing areas. A new access road was also built from the landing strip directly to the processing facility, which significantly reduces transport time and risk moving through traffic areas.

Prior to launch, the GEO-1 spacecraft will undergo post shipment testing, fueling and payload fairing encapsulation while in the DSCS Processing Facility. Upon completion of processing, the spacecraft will be mated on top of the Atlas V launch vehicle and perform final integrated testing and closeout preparations for launch. Approximately 24 hours before launch, the Atlas V/SBIRS GEO-1 spacecraft will roll to the launch pad and perform the final countdown preparations for launch.

The 22nd Airlift Squadron of Travis Air Force Base, California, and the 129th Rescue Wing of Mountain View, California, provided critical support of the delivery of SBIRS GEO-1. The U.S. Air Force C-5 crew, commanded by Major Brad Silver, ensured GEO-1 was transported safely and efficiently to the launch site, and worked with the SBIRS government and industry team throughout the mission to monitor the payload and ensure its safe delivery. The 129th Rescue Wing, Security Forces Squadron secured the entire operation at Moffet Air Field prior to departure. The SBIRS team is led by the Infrared Space Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the SBIRS prime contractor, with Northrop Grumman, as the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.

[SatNews] Solar power will be the driving force behind the upcoming Juno mission.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft is currently undergoing environmental testing at Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] test facility near Denver, Colorado. The solar-powered Juno will orbit Jupiter’s poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant’s origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere. The launch window for Juno from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida opens Aug. 5, 2011. In its present form, the spacecraft is fully assembled and all instruments have been integrated.

In the photo to the right, taken on Jan. 26, Juno had just completed tests that simulated the acoustic and vibration environment the spacecraft will experience during launch. The photo shows a Lockheed Martin technician inspecting the Jovian Auroral Distribution Experiment (JADE) instrument just after the test. All three solar array wings are installed and stowed and the large high gain antenna is in place on the top of the avionics vault. At present, Juno is sealed up in a large thermal vacuum chamber where it is being exposed to the vacuum and extreme hot and cold temperatures it will experience on its voyage to Jupiter. The two-week-long test will simulate many of the flight activities the spacecraft will execute during the mission. Juno is scheduled to ship from Lockheed Martin’s facility to Kennedy Space Center in early April where it will undergo final preparations for launch.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute at San Antonio, Texas. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colorado, is building the spacecraft. The Italian Space Agency in Rome is contributing an infrared spectrometer instrument and a portion of the radio science experiment.