Second GPS III satellite completes strenuous launch environment test

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Second GPS III satellite completes strenuous launch environment test

Second GPS III satellite completes strenuous launch environment test:

Artist’s rendering of a GPS III satellite. Image Credit: Lockheed Martin

Before a satellite can begin its operational life on orbit, it must first survive the extreme sound pressure and punishing vibrations caused by over 700,000 pounds-force (3,110 kilonewtons) of rocket thrust. On July 13, 2017, Lockheed Martin‘s second GPS III satellite (GPS III SV02) successfully completed acoustic environmental testing.

During the acoustic testing, the GPS III SV02 satellite was blasted by high-powered horns capable of producing sound up to 140 decibels. This is about as noisy as an aircraft carrier deck and is loud enough to shake loose anything on the satellite not properly attached.

“With this launch-simulation test, we are talking about sophisticated, advanced satellite technology and electronics enduring tremendous forces and then working flawlessly afterward,” said Mark Stewart, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Navigation Systems. “Passing this test with GPS III SV02 further validates the robustness of our GPS III design. We credit this success and risk-retirement to all the pathfinding work we accomplished early in the program.”

The GPS III SV02 satellite is part of the U.S. Air Force’s next generation of GPS satellites. GPS III will have three times greater accuracy than current GPS satellites and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities. The satellites have a designed life expectancy of up to 15 years – 25 percent longer than the latest GPS satellites currently in orbit.

The GPS III satellites will broadcast the new L1C civil signal that will make them the first GPS satellites to be interoperable with other international global navigational systems. The L1C signal will achieve full operational potential when broadcast from at least 24 GPS III satellites, currently projected for the late 2020s.

On July 13, 2017, the U.S. Air Force’s second GPS III space vehicle (GPS III SV 02) successfully completed acoustic testing. The test simulated the extreme sound wave pressure and pounding vibrations generated by more than 700,000 lbf of thundering rocket thrust during launch. During acoustic testing, the GPS III SV02 satellite was continuously blasted with deafening sound reaching 140 decibels in a specialized test chamber equipped with high-powered horns. Passing this test [has] further validated the robustness of Lockheed Martin’s GPS III design. Photo & Caption Credit: Lockheed Martin

GPS III SV02 is Lockheed Martin’s second GPS III satellite to complete acoustic testing. GPS III SV01 completed acoustic testing in fall 2015 and is currently in storage awaiting its expected 2018 launch.

The GPS III SV02 satellite is currently being prepared for Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) testing, where it will be subjected to extreme heat and cold in zero atmospheres, simulating conditions on-orbit. The satellite is expected to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force in early 2018.

GPS III SV02 is the second of 10 GPS satellites that Lockheed Martin is manufacturing for the Air Force at the company’s GPS III processing facility near Denver, Colorado. The $128 million factory includes a specialized cleanroom and testing chambers designed to streamline spacecraft production.

GPS III satellite design includes a modular architecture that allows for the addition of new technology as it becomes available or as mission needs change. Satellites using this design are compatible with both the Air Force’s next-generation Operational Control System (OTX) and the e xisting GPS constellation.

Video courtesy of Lockheed Martin

The post Second GPS III satellite completes strenuous launch environment test appeared first on SpaceFlight Insider.

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the United States government agency responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958 with a distinctly civilian (rather than military) orientation encouraging peaceful applications in space science. The National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed on July 29, 1958, disestablishing NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency became operational on October 1, 1958.

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The Oxford English Dictionary defines a UFO as "An unidentified flying object; a 'flying saucer'." The first published book to use the word was authored by Donald E. Keyhoe. The acronym "UFO" was coined by Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, who headed Project Blue Book, then the USAF's official investigation of UFOs. He wrote, "Obviously the term 'flying saucer' is misleading when applied to objects of every conceivable shape and performance. For this reason the military prefers the more general, if less colorful, name: unidentified flying objects. UFO (pronounced Yoo-foe) for short." Other phrases that were used officially and that predate the UFO acronym include "flying flapjack", "flying disc", "unexplained flying discs", "unidentifiable object", and "flying saucer". The phrase "flying saucer" had gained widespread attention after the summer of 1947. On June 24, a civilian pilot named Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine objects flying in formation near Mount Rainier. Arnold timed the sighting and estimated the speed of discs to be over 1,200 mph (1,931 km/h). At the time, he described the objects' shape as being somewhat disc-like or saucer-like, leading to newspaper accounts of "flying saucers" and "flying discs". In popular usage the term UFO came to be used to refer to claims of alien spacecraft. and because of the public and media ridicule associated with the topic, some investigators prefer to use such terms as unidentified aerial phenomenon (or UAP) or anomalous phenomena, as in the title of the National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP).

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UFO - Unidentified Flying Object An unidentified flying object, or UFO, in its most general definition, is any apparent anomaly in the sky that is not identifiable as a known object or phenomenon. Culturally, UFOs are associated with claims of visitation by extraterrestrial life or government-related conspiracy theories, and have become popular subjects in fiction. While UFOs are often later identified, sometimes identification may not be possible owing to the usually low quality of evidence related to UFO sightings (generally anecdotal evidence and eyewitness accounts). Stories of fantastical celestial apparitions have been told since antiquity, but the term "UFO" (or "UFOB") was officially created in 1953 by the United States Air Force (USAF) to serve as a catch-all for all such reports. In its initial definition, the USAF stated that a "UFOB" was "any airborne object which by performance, aerodynamic characteristics, or unusual features, does not conform to any presently known aircraft or missile type, or which cannot be positively identified as a familiar object." Accordingly, the term was initially restricted to that fraction of cases which remained unidentified after investigation, as the USAF was interested in potential national security reasons and/or "technical aspects" (see Air Force Regulation 200-2). During the late 1940s and through the 1950s, UFOs were often referred to popularly as "flying saucers" or "flying discs". The term UFO became more widespread during the 1950s, at first in technical literature, but later in popular use. UFOs garnered considerable interest during the Cold War, an era associated with a heightened concern for national security. Various studies have concluded that the phenomenon does not represent a threat to national security nor does it contain anything worthy of scientific pursuit (e.g., 1951 Flying Saucer Working Party, 1953 CIA Robertson Panel, USAF Project Blue Book, Condon Committee).

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Tuesday, September 12, 2017