TacSat-2
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TacSat-2 is an experimental satellite built by the USAF's Air Force Research Laboratory with an operational life expected to be not more than one year as part of the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program.
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[edit] Purpose
The TacSat series of experimental spacecraft are designed to allow military commanders on a battlefield to request and obtain imagery and other data from a satellite as it passes overhead. Collected data will be delivered to field commanders in minutes rather than hours or days. The sensor on TacSat-2 can collect color images sharp enough to distinguish ground objects as small as 1 meter in diameter.[1]
[edit] Launch
TacSat-2 was launched on 16 December 2006 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport using an Orbital Sciences Minotaur launch vehicle. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is a commerical space launch facility located on the Delmarva Peninsula 5 miles west of Chincoteague, Virginia.
TacSat-2 was launched ahead of TacSat-1, which is scheduled for launch in 2007 using a SpaceX Falcon 1 launcher.
[edit] Systems
The TacSat series were planned to use commercial or available launchers, and largely off-the-shelf components, in order to reduce costs.
TacSat-1 was initially planned for launch in January 2004 but funding shortfalls and development delays precluded this date.
[edit] Platform
The space platform was built by MicroSat Systems of Littleton, Colorado. The core avionics of the spacecraft including command and data handling, electrical power switching and distribution, and subsystem & payload interfaces is handled by an Integrated Avionics Unit (IAU) developed by Broad Reach Engineering (http://www.broadreachengineering.com). The spacecraft flight software consists of the low level drivers, and bus manager functionality provided by Broad Reach Engineering, ADCS Software by ASI (http://www.go-asi.com), and a number of higher level applications by 3rd parties, most notably the Autonomous Tasking Experiment (ATE) by Interface & Control Systems (http://www.interfacecontrol.com).
[edit] Camera / Telescope
The developers originally asked for bids from contractors for a camera. These were priced at around USD$10 million. The team then bought a high-end amateur telescope costing around $20,000 and added a camera sensor ($2 million), delivering a sensor capable of 1m ground resolution.
[edit] Signals Intelligence
A signals intelligence payload, called the Target Indicator Experiment, detects radio wave emitters and can be used in concert with receivers on other platsoms such as the US Navy's P-3C maritime patrol aircraft.
Other systems include:
- RoadRunner Onboard Processing Experiment (ROPE)
- Common Data Link (CDL)
- Autonomous Operations
- Hall Effect Thruster (HET)
- Propulsion Instrument Electronics (PIE) sensor suite
- Inertial Stellar Compass (ISC)
- Low Power Transceiver (LPT)
- Integrated GPS Occultation Receiver (IGOR)[2]
- Atmospheric Density Spectrometer (ADS)
- Experimental Solar Array
[edit] Orbit
The orbit is planned to have a height of 410km at an inclination of 40 degrees to the equator.
[edit] Developers
Apart from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), other organisations participating included:
- DOD Space Test Program (Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Development and Test Wing),
- Naval Research Laboratory,
- Army Space Program Office,
- Air Force Space Command
- Space Warfare Center
- NASA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
[edit] References
- ^ Singer, Jeremy. "USAF To Experiment With Satellite To Improve Ground Communications", Defense News, 2006-12-04.
- ^ Integrated GPS Occultation Receiver. Broad Reach Engineering.
- USAF, TacSat-2 Micro Satellite, Air Force Research Laboratory, 2006-09-01.
- TacSat-2 Mission Information. NASA.
