Backup thrusters to put military satellite in final orbit
Posted: Tue, Aug 31, 2010, 9:48 AM ET (1348 GMT)
The US Air Force said Monday that it has developed a backup plan to put a new communications satellite into its desired orbit after the satellite's primary thruster failed. The Advanced EHF 1 (AEHF-1) satellite was launched earlier this month on an Atlas 5 and put into a transfer orbit; the satellite's liquid apogee engine would then raise the spacecraft into geosynchronous orbit. That engine has suffered an unspecified anomaly and is no longer available to raise the satellite's orbit, Air Force officials said. Instead, engineers have developed a plan to use a smaller thruster on the satellite to move the satellite into GEO, but over the course of 7-8 months instead of the original 30 days. The backup plan will not reduce the spacecraft's lifetime but will delay when it will be able to be put into use.
The US Air Force said Monday that it has developed a backup plan to put a new communications satellite into its desired orbit after the satellite's primary thruster failed. The Advanced EHF 1 (AEHF-1) satellite was launched earlier this month on an Atlas 5 and put into a transfer orbit; the satellite's liquid apogee engine would then raise the spacecraft into geosynchronous orbit. That engine has suffered an unspecified anomaly and is no longer available to raise the satellite's orbit, Air Force officials said. Instead, engineers have developed a plan to use a smaller thruster on the satellite to move the satellite into GEO, but over the course of 7-8 months instead of the original 30 days. The backup plan will not reduce the spacecraft's lifetime but will delay when it will be able to be put into use.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Roscosmos replaces cosmonaut on next Crew Dragon mission to ISS
Posted: Sat, Dec 6 9:45 AM ET (1445 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, December 18
Space is now essential to European security
EurActiv — 6:12 am ET (1112 GMT) With Ariane 6, Arianespace successfully launches EU's Galileo L14
Arianespace — 6:12 am ET (1112 GMT) Astro Pi is ten: a decade of young people’s codes in space
ESA — 6:12 am ET (1112 GMT) Brazil to get satellite internet from Chinese rival to Starlink in 2026
Reuters — 6:10 am ET (1110 GMT) Musk's Race for Space
Sky News — 6:09 am ET (1109 GMT) |
