Posted by Courtney E. Howard
BOULDER, Colo., 22 Nov. 2010. The STPSat-2 satellite, built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. for the U.S. Air Force STP-S26 launch, lifted off from the Kodiak Launch Complex, Alaska, on board a Minotaur IV rocket. STPSat-2 is the first spacecraft for the Department of Defense (DOD) Space Test Program Standard Interface Vehicle (STP-SIV) program managed by the Space Development and Test Directorate at KirtlandAir Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
As the prime contractor, Ball Aerospace designed and built the spacecraft and standard payload interface, integrated the three payloads, performed space vehicle environmental testing, and provided launch and mission support. STPSat-3, a clone of STPSat-2, is nearing completion at Ball Aerospace with payload integration scheduled for February 2011. STPSat-3 will host four DOD experimental payloads.
"The STPSAT-2 spacecraft and its follow-on provide the nation's responsive space community with a flexible solution that addresses the critical need to manage cost, risk and performance," says David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace. "The STP-SIV accommodates a broad range of payloads for the DoD and the science and technology communities, from missile warning to earth-remote sensing to situational awareness."
Using flight-proven hardware for the spacecraft (and developmental hardware only on the experimental payloads), each bus can accommodate up to four independent payloads, each one having its own separate power and data interface. The standard interface of the STPSat-2 spacecraft is compatible with multiple launch vehicles carrying experimental and risk reduction payloads into various low-Earth orbits.
The STP-S26 mission is the 26th small launch vehicle mission in the Space Test Program's 40-year history of flying Defense Department experiments.
