A Win-Win... ORS + TacSats Last
December 16th, Orbital Sciences Corporation launched the TacSat-2 microsatellite
for the U.S. Air Force aboard a Minotaur I launch vehicle from NASA’s Wallops
Flight Facility. The client was the U.S.A.F.’s Space and Missile Systems Center
(SMC) Space Development and Test Wing (SDTW), located at Kirtland Air Force Base
in New Mexico. Approximately 11 minutes after lift-off, the Minotaur rocket
placed the TacSat-2 spacecraft into a low-altitude orbit. The rocket also
deployed another microsatellite, GeneSat-1, for NASA’s Ames Research
Center.
The purpose of the TacSat-2 project was to rapidly
deploy a low-cost satellite to explore the tactical utility of a space
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance asset, which is a Department of
Defense (DoD) objective spurred on by Operationally Responsive Space (ORS). The
nature of this mission required a short schedule to prove the quick turnaround
and launch capabilities of the Minotaur regarding the ORS mission for the U.S.
military. When you consider the Minotaur/TacSat-2 mission was accomplished in
just seven months, from contract initiation to successful orbit insertion, you
could definitely state mission accomplished.
The TacSat-2 satellite
demonstrates new technologies and capabilities for ORS support of military
operations in the fact that there were multiple experiments on board the
satellite. The primary experiment focused on a medium resolution imager, which
demonstrated the ability to be autonomously tasked and rapidly provide data to
warfighters on the ground. The TacSat-–2 and –3 partnerships include space
organizations from the Air Force, Army, and Navy.
The TacSat-2 project
manager is Neal Peck, and Thom Davis holds an identical position
for TacSat-3. Both work for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles
Directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. AFRL’s Space Vehicles
Directorate managed the program and they also served as the integrator of the
space vehicle and also administered the on-orbit operations. The U.S. government
team involved numerous organizations and companies working together to
accomplish this amazing feat that included:
Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate — program
management, spacecraft integration, experimental payloads
Space and Missile System Center’s Space Development and Test Wing (SDTW) —
launch, mission operations
Naval Research Laboratory — Target Indicator Experiment (TIE) payload
development
Office of the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and
Logistics — oversight of Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) U.S.
Strategic Command — ACTD user sponsor
Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office – oversight and sponsorship
Pacific Command — user partner for operational exercises NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory — Inertial Stellar Compass payload development
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center — development of Low Power Transceiver
Radi
MicroSat Systems, Inc. – spacecraft bus development, attitude control
system design, experimental solar arrays
Broadreach Engineering — avionics and flight software development and
Integrated GPS Occultation Receiver
Interface and Control Systems, Inc. — ground system and spacecraft
autonomy Jackson and Tull — spacecraft integration and mission operations
Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) — engineering design
support for optical imaging system
L3 Communications — development of Common Data Link tactical radio
Honeywell — Miniature Vibration Isolation System payload development
Orbital Sciences Corp. — launch vehicle and Nova Sensors — development of
the four-color camera
If you’ve never heard about
Operationally Responsive Space (OSR), understand this is envisioned as a
capability to assure space power focused on timely satisfaction of Joint Force
Commanders’ needs. ORS is intended to make critical contributions in terms of
reconstituting lost capabilities and to augment existing capabilities. In
addition, OSR will exploit new technical and operational innovations as well as
enhance survivability and deterrence.
ORS will consist of spacecraft,
launch vehicles, and ground segment to provide surge capability, reconstitute
damaged or incapacitated satellites, or provide timely availability of tailored
new capabilities.
Over the next few
years, the Science and Technology community’s Tactical Satellites (TacSatS) and
the ORS Office’s ORSSats will make a unique pathfinding contribution by
providing opportunities for operational experimentation as they test new
technologies to determine how valuable they are in warfighter operations. This
experimentation will help warfighters evaluate ORS capability to make critical
contributions in terms of augmentation and reconstitution. Near term examples
are the recently concluded TacSat-2 operation and the upcoming TacSat-3, 4, and
5 launches.  
Each of the ORSSats and TacSats require an
appropriate launch vehicle. In the near term, ORS is using the Minotaur launch
vehicle from Orbital and the Falcon launch vehicle from SpaceX. Also being
explored by ORS are responsive, economical launch vehicles for experimentation
and, ultimately, the operational phase. All contracts were awarded based on the
AFRL’s competitive procurement practices. However, there was one exception. The
contract to MicroSat Systems, Inc., was a sole source award. The Minotaur launch
vehicle itself was selected as a result of a competitive procurement managed by
SMC’s Space Development and Test Wing.
There were three primary
payloads:
There was an imaging system with a 20- inch telescope and a four-color
camera that was developed by AFRL, SAIC, and Nova Sensors
The Target Indicator Experiment had an AIS receiver and a signal
intelligence (SIGNIT) experiment that was developed by the Naval Research
Laboratory
Common Data Link provided high data rate-tactical communications to a
mobile ground station and was developed by L3 Communications
In addition, TacSat-2 consisted of the following science
experiments:
Hall Effect Thruster for orbit station keeping – developed by AFRL
Atmospheric Density Mass Spectrometer for collecting measurement of the
neutral atmosphere at Low Earth Orbit, also developed by AFRL
Roadrunner Onboard Processing Engine (ROPE) image processing and storage
experiment, another trial developed by AFRL
Integrated GPS Occultation Receiver (IGOR) high precision GPS that also
measured occultation of the GPS signals passing through the earth’s atmosphere
and employed for weather prediction, developed by Broadreach Engineering
The Miniature Vibration Isolation System, which isolated the telescope
system from vibrations induced by the spacecraft
The Inertial Stellar Compass provided spacecraft position knowledge and
also employs an attitude propagator, developed by NASA’s Jet propulsion
Laboratory with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Amorphous Silicon Solar Arrays for lightweight supplemental power
generation, developed by MicroSat Systems, Inc.
The Autonomous Tasking Experiment, which automated complex activities allowing
the spacecraft to do much of it’s own task scheduling and gave tactical
users direct access to the spacecraft without the need for them to have
detailed knowledge of the workings of the system, developed by Interface and
Control Systems, Inc.
Approximately two minutes
into the flight, the TacSat-2 went “silent” — the first spacecraft contact found
TacSat-2 “phoning home” exactly as scheduled. However, commands could not be
sent to the spacecraft, due to a configuration error at the ground system. This
was remedied in two days and all operations went as planned.
A final
report is being prepared regarding the results and lessons learned from this
enlightening project. Data acquisition performed as expected, with information
distributed to users via a secure data network that allowed all to share the
data with geographically distributed team members. The tactical communications
link also performed as expected, however, there are inherent limitations when
operating a tactical link with a space asset. Considering all of the needs, a
space-based communications network would be most helpful for future tactical
space systems.
The overall result was that TacSat-2 accomplished much
more than was originally envisioned when the program was first conceived. All of
the successes, as well as the failures, associated with TacSat-2 are already
being leveraged by TacSat-3, -4 and –5. Moreover, the ORS office is ensuring the
lessons learned will be employed in the development of future, operational ORS
capabilities.
As far as cost savings and speed of implementation tempting
the Pentagon into additional missions, TacSat-2 is but the first of what is
intended to be a string of successful TacSat experiments. TacSat-3 will launch
this year, with TacSat-4 to launch in 2009 and TacSat-5 in 2010. Obviously,
additional launches would not have been scheduled had TacSat-2 not met, and
exceeded, expectations. Sincere congratulations to all who played a role in the
program — the ultimate winner will be the warfighter and our nation.
Project Manager Biographies In addition
to serving as program manager for the successful TacSat-2 mission, Neal Peck
also worked for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate,
Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., for 10 plus years in a variety of positions,
including technology and strategic planner, as well as the Acting Chief,
Strategy and Plans Branch. During his 11-year career as an Air Force officer, he
was assigned primarily in the space experiments field at Vandenberg Air Force
Base, California. This included a tour as the Shuttle Launch Complex operations
manager for the $3.3 billion Space Shuttle Launch Complex. Mr. Peck earned a
Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from West Coast University,
Los Angeles, Calif., and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical
Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,
Ohio, and another Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry, Cumberland College,
Williamsburg, Kentucky.
Leading the TacSat-3 project, Thom Davis also
held the same position five years ago for the Experimental Satellite System-10
flight experiment, which represented the first ever microsatellite to
successfully demonstrate autonomous navigation and on-orbit proximity
operations. Mr. Davis served 22 years in the United States Air Force, retiring
as the Acting Director, Space and Missiles Technology, Phillips Laboratory, the
predecessor of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate,
Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. A command pilot with more than 3000 hours
of flight experience, Mr. Davis participated in operational assignments flying
the HH-3E and UH-1N helicopters, as well as the KC-135 tanker, including a tour
with the 89th Military Airlift Wing (Presidential) at Andrews Air Force Base,
Maryland. He is also an AIAA Associate Fellow and lifetime member of the Air
Force Association, Military Officers Association of America, and the Order of
the Dadaelians.
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