Winston
Lorenzo von Matterhorn
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2009
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"United Launch Alliance is scheduled to launch a Delta IV Heavy rocket as part of the NROL-71 mission. The launch window for the Government/Top Secret mission is on Fri, Dec 7th, 2018, 11:19 PM EST from Space Launch Complex 6, Vandenberg AFB, CA. The status of the launch is GREEN. Don’t miss this exciting rocket launch! Watch the launch video of the Delta IV Heavy and experience the excitement for yourself"
Links to watch:
https://www.spacelaunchschedule.com/launch-schedule/launch-details.php?id=1288
https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/delta-iv-nrol-71
https://spacelaunchnow.me/launch/delta-iv-heavy-nrol-71-1288/
Link to a three year old column. The low KH orbit claim fits with my suspicion that on-orbit entirely robotic or telepresence refueling might finally be used for the big, expensive, low orbit spysats:
Next round of U.S. optical spy satellites to start launching in 2018
1 May 2015
https://spaceflightnow.com/2015/05/...al-spy-satellites-to-start-launching-in-2018/
CAPE CANAVERAL — The covert follow-on satellite program that will serve as a replacement to the nation’s surveillance “eyes” from space begins launching in 2018 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will deploy the massive payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office in a mission known simply as NROL-71 from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 6.
The NRO develops and operates the country’s fleet of spy satellites, and the upcoming NROL-71 will take the next step in fielding electro-optical imaging craft.
The sophisticated bird will continue a long line of Keyhole-type spacecraft that provide ultra-high resolution imagery for the U.S. intelligence community, according to hobbyists who track orbiting satellites with remarkable precision.
The telescope-like Keyhole satellites circle the planet in elliptical polar orbits and collect pictures for U.S. national security uses. Lockheed Martin is the long-running marker of such optical satellites.
Experts believe the primary mirror is 2.4 meters in diameter, identical to the mirror size inside the Hubble Space Telescope, which Lockheed Martin derived from the KH-11 spy satellites.
There have been 16 such KH-11 launches since 1976, all but one successfully reaching orbit, said Ted Molczan, a respected observer who keeps tabs on orbiting spacecraft.
Delta 4-Heavy rockets launched two “gap-filler” satellites of this type from Vandenberg in 2011 and 2013, codenamed USA 224 and USA 245, taking over the primary KH-11 East and West spacecraft roles that had been filled in 2001 and 2005 by Titan 4 rockets, codenames USA 161 and USA 186, respectively.
All four satellites remain in operation today, with the two Delta 4-Heavy payloads in the typical, elliptical orbits used by KH-11 and the Titan 4 craft repositioned into fuel-hungry, circular orbits that could be a clue to the operating scheme of the future follow-on series.
“USA 161 and USA 186 remain in orbit, but they significantly reduced their mean altitude since their replacements were launched, which may offer a preview of what to expect from the next-generation spacecraft,” Molczan said. “These more circular orbits offer more consistent resolution during each revolution, at the expense of greater drag, which requires more fuel for altitude maintenance.”
The Delta-launched satellites were considered “gap-fillers” after the NRO was forced to cancel the optical portion of its Future Imagery Architecture program that had been awarded to Boeing in 1999. The optical satellites were supposed to be smaller craft to launch on less-powerful rockets.
But after delays, technical snags and budget overruns, the NRO scrapped Boeing’s optical contract and awarded Lockheed Martin a deal to make two more of its proven KH-11 spy birds.
Now, the first successor to the 2011 and 2013 satellites has begun to pop up on schedules. Lockheed Martin is the builder of the follow-on system, too, receiving a multi-billion dollar order to begin construction in 2012.
“I speculate that the next-generation spacecraft may be designed to take full advantage of the performance of the Delta 4-Heavy, to carry a much greater fuel load than was possible with the Titan 3 and 4 rockets used to launch the previous generations. That would enable them to adopt the present orbits of USA 161 and USA 186 as the new KH-11 standard,” said Molczan.
The latest from premiere amateur sat tracker Ted Molczan:
https://www.satobs.org/seesat/Dec-2018/0029.html
From: Ted Molczan via Seesat-l <seesat-l_at_satobs.org>
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2018 21:15:35 -0500
NROL-71 is scheduled for launch from VAFB on 2018 Dec 08 at 04:19 UTC, aboard a Delta IV-Heavy.
Justin Ray will live-blog the launch for ULA:
https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/delta-iv-nrol-71
Stephen Clark will live-blog the launch for Spaceflight Now:
https://spaceflightnow.com/
Until a few days ago, I expected the payload to be the first Block 5 large electro-optical satellite of KH-11 heritage. Doubts arose upon release of the launch time, which was inconsistent with either of the two established KH-11 orbital planes. Doubts grew when the NOTAM revealed that NROL-71 is targeting, and its second stage will de-orbit from, an approximately 74 deg orbit. KH-11 has always employed sun-synchronous orbits, inclined at approximately 97 deg or 98 deg, depending upon their altitude. This raised the possibility that the payload is something else, e.g. a low-observable (aka stealthy) KH-11 variant, like Misty, which operated in quasi-65 deg orbits. I have insufficient information to form an opinion that would aid in finding the payload. I am open to suggestions.
If the payload is a KH-11, then given the disclosure that the new generation will retain the existing mirror diameter of 2.4 m, its perigee height should be near the existing value of 259 km. Accordingly, the second and third TLE in each group is elliptical, with that perigee height. The second TLE has argument of perigee near 235 deg, which results in near apogee passes around latitude 50 N; the third one has perigee passes around 50 N.
[snip]
The plane of the first group is a little west of the launch site about 6.5 minutes after launch; the middle group roughly overhead; and the final group, a little west. Based on history, the final group seems more likely. I doubt passes will be much earlier than the times of the first group, but I can imagine passes a bit later than indicated by the final group.
I hope the above will prove to reasonably bracket reality. I am open to suggestions for other orbits.
This launch has already presented a huge surprise; there could well be more.
Happy hunting!
Ted Molczan
About on-orbit servicing of spacecraft:
On-orbit satellite servicing: The next big thing in space?
November 17, 2017
https://spacenews.com/on-orbit-satellite-servicing-the-next-big-thing-in-space/
WASHINGTON — A team of researchers and Pentagon contractors was recently selected to organize a space industry consortium that will consider new “rules of the road” for commercial on-orbit activities like repairing and refueling satellites.
The effort, led by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is being touted as a major step in the transition of on-orbit services from experiment to reality, and ultimate commercial success.
The project is significant, analysts said, because safety standards and other norms need to be in place to fuel investments and research in space applications, and open up new markets in robotic and human exploration.
NASA's Satellite Servicing Projects Division (SSPD)
https://sspd.gsfc.nasa.gov/about.html
The Satellite Servicing Projects Division (SSPD) continues the legacy of the five successful Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission (1990-2009) and the Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office (2009-2016).
SSPD is advancing the state of the art in robotic and human servicing through the management of servicing missions, the execution of targeted technology development campaigns, and the infusion and transfer of servicing capabilities to government and industry stakeholders.
Through their efforts, SSPD is working to:
Advance the state of robotic servicing technology to enable the routine servicing of satellites that were not designed with servicing in mind.
Position the U.S. to be the global leader in in-space repair, maintenance and satellite disposal.
Help to enable a future U.S. industry for the servicing of satellites.
NASA On-Orbit Satellite Servicing Study
Project Report - October 2010
https://sspd.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/nasa_satellite servicing_project_report_0511.pdf
A generic Delta 4 launch overview, of course. I seriously doubt the spacecraft shown after fairing separation is NROL-71 payload:
As always, mission patches can provide mission clues as they have in the past. JLC - Joint Logistics Command???; DI - Defense Intelligence Agency:
Links to watch:
https://www.spacelaunchschedule.com/launch-schedule/launch-details.php?id=1288
https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/delta-iv-nrol-71
https://spacelaunchnow.me/launch/delta-iv-heavy-nrol-71-1288/
Link to a three year old column. The low KH orbit claim fits with my suspicion that on-orbit entirely robotic or telepresence refueling might finally be used for the big, expensive, low orbit spysats:
Next round of U.S. optical spy satellites to start launching in 2018
1 May 2015
https://spaceflightnow.com/2015/05/...al-spy-satellites-to-start-launching-in-2018/
CAPE CANAVERAL — The covert follow-on satellite program that will serve as a replacement to the nation’s surveillance “eyes” from space begins launching in 2018 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will deploy the massive payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office in a mission known simply as NROL-71 from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 6.
The NRO develops and operates the country’s fleet of spy satellites, and the upcoming NROL-71 will take the next step in fielding electro-optical imaging craft.
The sophisticated bird will continue a long line of Keyhole-type spacecraft that provide ultra-high resolution imagery for the U.S. intelligence community, according to hobbyists who track orbiting satellites with remarkable precision.
The telescope-like Keyhole satellites circle the planet in elliptical polar orbits and collect pictures for U.S. national security uses. Lockheed Martin is the long-running marker of such optical satellites.
Experts believe the primary mirror is 2.4 meters in diameter, identical to the mirror size inside the Hubble Space Telescope, which Lockheed Martin derived from the KH-11 spy satellites.
There have been 16 such KH-11 launches since 1976, all but one successfully reaching orbit, said Ted Molczan, a respected observer who keeps tabs on orbiting spacecraft.
Delta 4-Heavy rockets launched two “gap-filler” satellites of this type from Vandenberg in 2011 and 2013, codenamed USA 224 and USA 245, taking over the primary KH-11 East and West spacecraft roles that had been filled in 2001 and 2005 by Titan 4 rockets, codenames USA 161 and USA 186, respectively.
All four satellites remain in operation today, with the two Delta 4-Heavy payloads in the typical, elliptical orbits used by KH-11 and the Titan 4 craft repositioned into fuel-hungry, circular orbits that could be a clue to the operating scheme of the future follow-on series.
“USA 161 and USA 186 remain in orbit, but they significantly reduced their mean altitude since their replacements were launched, which may offer a preview of what to expect from the next-generation spacecraft,” Molczan said. “These more circular orbits offer more consistent resolution during each revolution, at the expense of greater drag, which requires more fuel for altitude maintenance.”
The Delta-launched satellites were considered “gap-fillers” after the NRO was forced to cancel the optical portion of its Future Imagery Architecture program that had been awarded to Boeing in 1999. The optical satellites were supposed to be smaller craft to launch on less-powerful rockets.
But after delays, technical snags and budget overruns, the NRO scrapped Boeing’s optical contract and awarded Lockheed Martin a deal to make two more of its proven KH-11 spy birds.
Now, the first successor to the 2011 and 2013 satellites has begun to pop up on schedules. Lockheed Martin is the builder of the follow-on system, too, receiving a multi-billion dollar order to begin construction in 2012.
“I speculate that the next-generation spacecraft may be designed to take full advantage of the performance of the Delta 4-Heavy, to carry a much greater fuel load than was possible with the Titan 3 and 4 rockets used to launch the previous generations. That would enable them to adopt the present orbits of USA 161 and USA 186 as the new KH-11 standard,” said Molczan.
The latest from premiere amateur sat tracker Ted Molczan:
https://www.satobs.org/seesat/Dec-2018/0029.html
From: Ted Molczan via Seesat-l <seesat-l_at_satobs.org>
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2018 21:15:35 -0500
NROL-71 is scheduled for launch from VAFB on 2018 Dec 08 at 04:19 UTC, aboard a Delta IV-Heavy.
Justin Ray will live-blog the launch for ULA:
https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/delta-iv-nrol-71
Stephen Clark will live-blog the launch for Spaceflight Now:
https://spaceflightnow.com/
Until a few days ago, I expected the payload to be the first Block 5 large electro-optical satellite of KH-11 heritage. Doubts arose upon release of the launch time, which was inconsistent with either of the two established KH-11 orbital planes. Doubts grew when the NOTAM revealed that NROL-71 is targeting, and its second stage will de-orbit from, an approximately 74 deg orbit. KH-11 has always employed sun-synchronous orbits, inclined at approximately 97 deg or 98 deg, depending upon their altitude. This raised the possibility that the payload is something else, e.g. a low-observable (aka stealthy) KH-11 variant, like Misty, which operated in quasi-65 deg orbits. I have insufficient information to form an opinion that would aid in finding the payload. I am open to suggestions.
If the payload is a KH-11, then given the disclosure that the new generation will retain the existing mirror diameter of 2.4 m, its perigee height should be near the existing value of 259 km. Accordingly, the second and third TLE in each group is elliptical, with that perigee height. The second TLE has argument of perigee near 235 deg, which results in near apogee passes around latitude 50 N; the third one has perigee passes around 50 N.
[snip]
The plane of the first group is a little west of the launch site about 6.5 minutes after launch; the middle group roughly overhead; and the final group, a little west. Based on history, the final group seems more likely. I doubt passes will be much earlier than the times of the first group, but I can imagine passes a bit later than indicated by the final group.
I hope the above will prove to reasonably bracket reality. I am open to suggestions for other orbits.
This launch has already presented a huge surprise; there could well be more.
Happy hunting!
Ted Molczan
About on-orbit servicing of spacecraft:
On-orbit satellite servicing: The next big thing in space?
November 17, 2017
https://spacenews.com/on-orbit-satellite-servicing-the-next-big-thing-in-space/
WASHINGTON — A team of researchers and Pentagon contractors was recently selected to organize a space industry consortium that will consider new “rules of the road” for commercial on-orbit activities like repairing and refueling satellites.
The effort, led by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is being touted as a major step in the transition of on-orbit services from experiment to reality, and ultimate commercial success.
The project is significant, analysts said, because safety standards and other norms need to be in place to fuel investments and research in space applications, and open up new markets in robotic and human exploration.
NASA's Satellite Servicing Projects Division (SSPD)
https://sspd.gsfc.nasa.gov/about.html
The Satellite Servicing Projects Division (SSPD) continues the legacy of the five successful Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission (1990-2009) and the Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office (2009-2016).
SSPD is advancing the state of the art in robotic and human servicing through the management of servicing missions, the execution of targeted technology development campaigns, and the infusion and transfer of servicing capabilities to government and industry stakeholders.
Through their efforts, SSPD is working to:
Advance the state of robotic servicing technology to enable the routine servicing of satellites that were not designed with servicing in mind.
Position the U.S. to be the global leader in in-space repair, maintenance and satellite disposal.
Help to enable a future U.S. industry for the servicing of satellites.
NASA On-Orbit Satellite Servicing Study
Project Report - October 2010
https://sspd.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/nasa_satellite servicing_project_report_0511.pdf
A generic Delta 4 launch overview, of course. I seriously doubt the spacecraft shown after fairing separation is NROL-71 payload:
As always, mission patches can provide mission clues as they have in the past. JLC - Joint Logistics Command???; DI - Defense Intelligence Agency:
