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AeroAstro-built STPSat-1 Satellite Successfully Launched by the U.S. Air Force
Ashburn, VA, March 9, 2007 /AEROASTRO, INC./ The STPSat-1 satellite launched last night onboard an Atlas V launch vehicle at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The successful lift-off marks the first launch of a DoD Space Test Program (STP) mission designed to fly space experiments on the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA). AeroAstro developed the low-earth orbiting spacecraft under contract to the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program headquartered at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.
ESPA is a ring placed between a launch vehicle and primary payload which mechanically supports small secondary spacecraft. It provides launch accommodations for up to six microsatellites. ESPA is revolutionary because it significantly increases the launch availability and reduces the launch cost for secondary payloads. “The STPSat-1 launch is an important demonstration of the utility of small satellites launched as secondary payloads” said Dr. Rick Fleeter, President and CEO of AeroAstro. “Future ESPA satellites will be used by both Defense and civil organizations for rapid, affordable execution of a broad spectrum of space missions. Flexibility, cost effectiveness and quick realization of the mission are enhanced by the use of a flexible standard interface for a diverse set of payloads and sensors, and a launch vehicle interface which is well characterized, proven and usable across a range of launch vehicles. |
Atlas V launched on March 8th at 10:10 pm . |
Piggybacking with large missions, customers realize significant cost savings over dedicated launches. At AeroAstro, we are pleased to be a part of the DoD Space Test Program's success in demonstrating this capability.”
The launch of STPSat-1 demonstrates AeroAstro’s ability to combine technical innovation with reliability. STPSat-1’s elegant design incorporated both proven technical design from previous missions and advanced technologies. The satellite construction was tailored for the highly constrained ESPA environment and included advances in electronics packaging, space materials and manufacturing techniques.
Over the next several weeks, the STPSat-1 spacecraft will undergo system checkout and initialization of its two scientific payloads. The spacecraft will then begin nominal mission operations.
This project is sponsored by:
DoD Space Test Program
Space Development and Test Wing
Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
About the STPSat-1 Spacecraft
STPSat-1 continues STP's mission to provide access to space for DoD-sponsored experiments. The primary experiment, Spatial Heterodyne Imager for Mesospheric Radicals (SHIMMER), is a high-resolution ultraviolet spectrometer based on the new optical technique known as Spatial Heterodyne Spectroscopy (SHS). SHS facilitates the design of low mass, low power, high throughput spectrometers for space-based remote sensing. The secondary experiment, the Computerized Ionospheric Tomography Receiver in Space (CITRIS), will investigate irregularities that affect propagation of satellite-to-ground links for GPS and communications.
About AeroAstro
AeroAstro, founded in 1988, is a leader in innovative microsatellite systems, components, and advanced communications technologies. AeroAstro was the prime contractor for STPSat-1 responsible for spacecraft design and fabrication, integration of all experiments, space vehicle testing, launch integration support, launch and early orbit operations support, and post-launch mission operations support.
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Media Contact:
Kim Irving
Director of Marketing
kim.irving@aeroastro.com
703.554.6335