Author Topic: Atlas V 401 - JPSS-2/LOFTID - Vandenberg SLC-3E - 10 November 2022 (09:49 UTC)  (Read 65777 times)

Offline WHAP

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Since the award was made last week, I though a dedicated thread might be in order, even if the launch is 4 years away.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-launch-services-contract-for-joint-polar-satellite-system-2-mission
« Last Edit: 11/10/2022 10:35 am by Galactic Penguin SST »
ULA employee.  My opinions do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

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Offline gongora

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Re: Atlas V 401 - JPSS-2 - 2021
« Reply #2 on: 03/05/2019 02:42 am »
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MOD 255: The purpose of this modification is to revise the launch date for the Joint Polar Satellite System- 2 (JPSS-2) Launch Service (CLIN 15) from a launch date of July 31, 2021, to a launch date of March 31, 2022, due to a
Government caused delay. The length of the delay is 243 days. Pursuant to Section C, Clause 19.6, and Table C-6a, there are currently 150 available Government Grace Days for the period of ATP through L-24, all of which are being used for this delay. The remaining 93 days are subject to the postponement fee amount of $1,750 per day as established in Table C-6a. There remains 447 Postponement Fee Days for the JPSS-2 Launch Service.  Section B, Clause 1.6, IDIQ Launch Service Task Order (LSTO), Table B-8.15, IDIQ Launch Service Task Order for the JPSS-2 Mission: The total value of CLIN 15 is increased by $162,750.00 from $139,000,000.00 to $139,162,750.00. Sub CLIN 15D, Launch Delays, is created in the amount of $162,750.00.

Offline ZachS09

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Re: Atlas V 401 - JPSS-2 - NET March 2022
« Reply #3 on: 05/14/2019 03:28 am »
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Re: Atlas V 401 - JPSS-2 - NET March 2022
« Reply #4 on: 05/14/2019 09:00 am »
Summarising, LOFTID (Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator) will be a co-passenger with JPSS 2, with launch NET first quarter FY2022 (fourth quarter 2021). After deploying deploying JPSS into its orbit, Centaur will perform a deorbit burn, after which LOFTID will be deployed for re-entry.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline gongora

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Re: Atlas V 401 - JPSS-2 - NET Q4 2021?
« Reply #5 on: 08/26/2020 03:20 am »
In a presentation at a ridesharing symposium today it was noted that LOFTID will be the only co-passenger on this flight.

Offline gongora

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Re: Atlas V 401 - JPSS-2 - 2022
« Reply #6 on: 09/15/2020 04:51 pm »
https://twitter.com/SpcPlcyOnline/status/1305906558761676800
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Volz: during COVID we've kept all sat ops going 24/7, but had to delay ground sys upgrades and won't be able to complete before launch of GOES-T. But keeping that  launch on skdl.
However, launch of JPSS-2 will slip from March 2022. Working w/NASA on new date later that yr.

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline zubenelgenubi

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Re: Atlas V 401 - JPSS-2 - Vandenberg SLC-3E - 2022
« Reply #8 on: 02/12/2021 05:19 am »
Cross-post:
L9 and JPSS-2 together at Northrup-Grumman in Gilbert, Arizona:

https://twitter.com/Dr_ThomasZ/status/1359981059996286977
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It’s not every day you see 2 fully integrated observatories in the same picture at the same time! Here you see JPSSProgram-2 satellite with NASA_Landsat 9 photobombing in the background.
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Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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https://www.nasa.gov/feature/inflatable-heat-shield-one-step-closer-to-2022-demonstration

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Jul 23, 2021

Inflatable Heat Shield One Step Closer to 2022 Demonstration

A NASA technology that could one day help land humans on Mars is about to head into final integration and testing before an orbital flight test next year.

Two key components of the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) are complete and recently arrived at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. At Langley, engineers will test the complete system to ensure LOFTID is flight ready.

The inflatable decelerator is scheduled to launch with a polar-orbiting satellite in September 2022. After the satellite makes its way to orbit, LOFTID will descend back to Earth from low-Earth orbit to demonstrate the inflatable aeroshell, or heat shield, can slow down and survive re-entry.

Hardware Progress

The flexible thermal protection system provides layers of material to protect the entire LOFTID re-entry vehicle from the extreme heat of atmospheric entry. It was built by Jackson Bond Enterprises, a small business in Dover, New Hampshire. In May, it was shipped to Airborne Systems in Santa Ana, California. That’s where the inflatable structure, the stacked ring assembly that maintains the shape of the aeroshell, was built and tested. The two components were then integrated to make up the complete aeroshell and load tested to ensure the structures will perform as expected during flight.

Before shipping to Langley, the integrated components were painstakingly packed – an intensive process in which the aeroshell is gathered in a particular way, turned upside down, gathered again, cinched by hand, flipped again, and then put into a hydraulic ram. The ram is a machine that presses it until it is almost as dense as wood and can be restrained to this much smaller shape. The entire re-entry vehicle will be compressed into a configuration for shipping and launch that’s about 4 feet in diameter by 7 feet long, compared to 20 feet in diameter by 5 feet long when deployed.

Next, the aeroshell will be integrated with the rest of the re-entry vehicle. The vehicle is comprised of several segments that link the inflatable structure to the inflation system, avionics, or flight electronics, ejectable data recorder, and parachute system.

The forward segment, which connects the inflatable structure to the inflation system, is complete. The inflation system, which will slowly expand the inflatable structure to shape before re-entry, is nearing completion. The team will install avionics into the inflation system and then stack it with the mid-segment, which contains the interface to the rocket, along with critical power, control, and data acquisition electronics. Then, the aft segment, which houses the ejectable data recorder, cameras, and the parachute system, will be assembled. Parts of the aft segment are already in work at Airborne where they're performing tests on the parachute system, at Langley and various contractors where its structures are being fabricated, and at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where the camera systems were completed and tested.

Later this year, all the components of the re-entry vehicle will be integrated and put through a battery of environmental tests in preparation for delivery to United Launch Alliance (ULA).

Mission Dedication

NASA and ULA are dedicating the LOFTID mission in honor of Mr. Bernard Kutter, manager of advanced programs at ULA, who passed away last year.

Bernard Kutter was not only an advocate for more commonplace access to space, but also the technologies that could make it a reality. The ULA engineer took a keen interest in NASA’s inflatable heat shield design which could enable the safe return of rocket engines for re-use, as well as land large payloads on Mars required for crewed missions. He was instrumental in advancing the technology and developing the plan to test the system on an Atlas V rocket.

“I – like the rest of the aerospace community – was saddened to hear of Bernard’s unexpected passing last summer,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. “Together, NASA and ULA cannot think of a better way to honor his contributions and legacy than to dedicate the first flight demonstration of this technology to him.”

“Bernard was the cornerstone of ULA’s Advanced Programs team, shaping the future of space technology and sharing that vision with many inside and outside of ULA,” said Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and CEO. “His influence can be seen everywhere from the Vulcan Centaur design to NASA’s lunar architecture. He is greatly missed.”

NASA and its partners continue to prepare the technology for the significant flight test next year.

“This represents almost 18 years of effort,” said Joe Del Corso, LOFTID project manager at Langley. “LOFTID is the culmination of ground tests and a suborbital flight test leading up to an orbital entry test and the demonstration of Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) technology. This is the launching point for the next phase of a technology that will be critical to enabling human access to Mars.”

Landing humans on Mars will require larger, heavier payloads than have ever been landed on the Red Planet. That will require a much larger heat shield than currently exists. A scaled-up HIAD could provide the drag area and heat protection needed for a human Mars mission. In addition, HIAD technology could allow landing at higher altitude locations, enable better use of the full volume of rockets, provide heavy payload return from low-Earth orbit, and lower the cost of access to space through launch vehicle asset recovery.

“Bernard advocated for us everywhere. I think the LOFTID project would not have happened without Bernard, and that's one of the reasons the dedication is for him,” said Dr. Neil Cheatwood, LOFTID principal investigator.

The LOFTID project is a part of the Technology Demonstration Missions program within NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. The project is managed by Langley with contributions from NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

Last Updated: Aug 5, 2021
Editor: Kristyn Damadeo
Tags:  Ames Research Center, Space Tech, Technology Demonstration

Attachment captions:

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The flexible thermal protection system contains two outer surface layers made of ceramic fiber fabric, several layers of insulator, and then a gas barrier that prevents hot gases from getting to directly to the inflatable structure. The inflatable structure is a high temperature capable, flexible structure that is inflated to provide the cone shape that the FTPS drapes over.
Credits: NASA/Greg Swanson

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The LOFTID flight aeroshell recently arrived at NASA's Langley Research Center where it will be integrated with other flight components and put through environmental testing prior to launch next year.
Credits: NASA/David C. Bowman

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An exploded view of the LOFTID re-entry vehicle shows all of the segments.
This exploded view of the LOFTID re-entry vehicle shows each of the components that makes up the various segments.
Credits: NASA

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The Bernard Kutter Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) is dedicated in honor of Mr. Kutter and his advocacy for space technology and more access to space.
Credits: ULA

Offline su27k

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Getting Pumped Up for Launch: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/getting-pumped-up-for-launch

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No, we’re not pumping up inner tubes for a pool party, but the successful inflation of this stack of test rings marks the final test of the inflation system for NASA’s LOFTID demonstration which will make a splash when it lands in the Pacific Ocean after launch.

A NASA technology that could one day help land humans on Mars, the Bernard Kutter Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), is scheduled to launch with a polar-orbiting satellite no earlier than fall 2022. After the satellite makes its way to orbit, LOFTID will descend back to Earth from low-Earth orbit to demonstrate that the inflatable aeroshell, or heat shield, can slow down and survive re-entry.

The inflation system is one component of the LOFTID re-entry vehicle, and it is designed to slowly expand the aeroshell to its final shape before it reenters Earth’s atmosphere. The testing was performed using an inflatable volume tori simulator, or a series of rings that use the same amount of air as the flight aeroshell. Each inflation test was run as the system would operate in flight. This procedure ensures the inflation system responds as intended during routine operations and during potential anomalies.

This inflation marks the final test in a series of inflation system check out tests. Now the system is ready for integration into the forward segment of the re-entry vehicle, which includes several segments that link the aeroshell to the inflation system, flight electronics, ejectable data recorder, and parachute system. Later this year, all the components of the re-entry vehicle will be integrated and put through a battery of environmental tests in preparation for delivery to industry partner United Launch Alliance, which is providing the launch and recovery.

The LOFTID project is a part of the Technology Demonstration Missions program within NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. The project is managed by NASA’s Langley Research Center with contributions from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

Offline zubenelgenubi

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SFN Launch Schedule update, March 25 (one of many):
JPSS-2 launch confirmed on September 30, 2022.

Is it coincidence or purposeful that the launch is scheduled for the last day of the federal fiscal year?
« Last Edit: 03/30/2022 05:02 am by zubenelgenubi »
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Offline zubenelgenubi

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JPSS-2 launch October 2022 from Vandenberg; no location change.  It's in the presentation because:
LSP is a KSC program.
https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/1526607162025328642

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Janet Petro, director of KSC, showed this slide of 2022 key milestones at a Space Transportation Association event.

It shows Artemis 1’s launch no earlier than August.

Astra’s three launches of NASA’s TROPICS CubeSats are TBD as Astra is “working through some issues,” she said.
« Last Edit: 05/17/2022 08:34 pm by zubenelgenubi »
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Offline Targeteer

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NOAA Satellite and Information Service  20m  ·

NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-2 mission has a new launch date—Nov. 1, 2022.
The JPSS-2 satellite will lift off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and will be renamed NOAA-21 when it successfully reaches orbit.

Learn more: https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaas-jpss-2-mission-has-new-launch-date

 NOAA’s JPSS-2 Mission Has New Launch Date

An artist's rendering of the JPSS-2 satellite, which will be renamed NOAA-21 once in orbit.

NOAA and NASA are now targeting November 1, 2022 as the new launch date for NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission. The launch was originally scheduled for September 30, 2022, however, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite instrument, or VIIRS, experienced a test equipment anomaly during thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing. 

Engineers determined the anomaly resulted from the movement of  test equipment caused by temperature fluctuations during TVAC. Modifications were made to the test set up, and the system has since been retested, with expected performance. The investigation and test equipment modifications resulted in approximately a  one-month delay for the completion of the thermal vacuum test.

JPSS-2, the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series, is scheduled to lift off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The satellite, to be renamed NOAA-21 upon successfully reaching orbit, will continue the work of its predecessors NOAA-20 (formerly JPSS-1) and the NOAA-NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP).

JPSS-2 will scan the globe as it orbits from the North to the South Pole, crossing the equator 14 times a day. From 512 miles above Earth, it will capture data that inform weather forecasts, extreme weather events, and climate change.

« Last Edit: 05/31/2022 02:52 pm by Targeteer »
Best quote heard during an inspection, "I was unaware that I was the only one who was aware."

Offline gongora

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0992-EX-ST-2022
Quote
The LOFTID will employ an NAL Research 9602-N modem to communicate with
the Iridium constellation for LOFTID’s command and telemetry operations. The
LOFTID mission is an experiment to test reentry hardware for spacecraft and seeks to
transmit housekeeping and re-entry break up data for as long as possible during the 30
minute reentry process. The mission will operate for approximately 30 minutes at an
altitude of 125 km on a re-entry trajectory from south of Alaska to the coast of Hawaii.

Offline edzieba

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Offline Rondaz

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The JPSS-2 satellite has successfully completed its thermal vacuum test!
 
Last week, the satellite completed this critical test, which simulates exposure to the harsh environments it will encounter in space.

https://twitter.com/JPSSProgram/status/1537495253028065285

Offline Rondaz

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NOAA’s JPSS-2 Satellite Completes Critical Testing Milestone.

June 15, 2022

NOAA’s JPSS-2 satellite has cleared a critical testing milestone, bringing it a step closer to launch. Last week, the polar-orbiting satellite emerged from the chamber after completing its thermal vacuum testing. This test is meant to show that the spacecraft and all of its instruments will perform successfully when exposed to the harsh environments of space.

“I can absolutely say with 100% certainty that the observatory is working great,” said JPSS Flight Project Manager Andre Dress. “All the instruments are performing great, and we’re going to meet all our requirements – and then some.” 

NOAA’s JPSS-2, the third satellite in the Joint Polar Satellite System series, will provide data that inform weather forecasts, extreme weather and climate change. It is slated to launch Nov. 1, 2022, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and will be renamed NOAA-21 after reaching orbit. 

The thermal vacuum test simulates the vacuum of space and the harsh temperature extremes the satellite will experience while in Earth’s orbit. 

“The satellite has to keep itself warm enough in a cold state and cool when it’s in a hot state, and still provide the science performance as it’s going through the temperature transitions,” said Chris Brann, deputy project manager for the JPSS flight project. “If it works at the two extremes of hot and cold, it will work in between.”

During testing, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite instrument, or VIIRS, experienced a test equipment anomaly. Engineers determined the anomaly was a result of slight movement between the test equipment and the instrument, which were caused by thermal deformation.  Modifications were quickly made to the test set up, and the system was retested — this time with the expected performance.

The thermal vacuum test is the most significant test the satellite will go through, short of launch, Dress said. “There’s no other test like it in the whole life of a mission,” he said. “This one is the biggie.”

It also requires the most resources. Hundreds of people on the team supported this test alone.

The spacecraft emerged from TVAC testing June 4 — three months after it entered the chamber. The investigation and equipment fixes delayed the completion of the test by about a month. This also resulted in a delay of the launch date, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 30, 2022.

This summer, the satellite’s solar array will be installed, and the satellite will be moved into a shipping container, which is controlled for temperature and humidity. It will then be shipped to the launch site in California, where it will go through a final series of tests before getting installed on the rocket, Brann said.

So much has to come together when planning for the launch, said JPSS Flight Mission Systems Engineer Lou Parkinson. “Not only do we build the satellite and test the satellite and launch the satellite, but then we need to be able to hand over a successfully operating satellite to NOAA to make sure they can continue operations.”

JPSS-2 will scan the globe as it orbits from the North to the South Pole, crossing the equator 14 times a day. From 512 miles above Earth, it will observe atmospheric conditions like temperature and moisture and extreme weather, like hurricanes, floods, wildfires and drought. Once in orbit, it will continue the work of its predecessors NOAA-20 and the NOAA-NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP).

https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaas-jpss-2-satellite-completes-critical-testing-milestone

Offline russianhalo117

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Cross post regarding for context regarding transport of JPSS-2's Atlas V flight set since took forever for arrival images to be approved for public release by all respective entities:

Could this contain delta heavy en route to Vandenberg?
Per AIS timestamps it left the VSFB port running loaded at 12 JUL 2022 02:34:00 UTC and arrived at Port of San Diego at 13 JUL 2022 02:24:56 UTC. Before that it was servicing at Cristobal Anchorage, Panama on the 25th of June loaded and Bound for VSFB.
It doesn't just carry rockets all of the time so it typically stops along the coast to pick up cargo to pay for its return. Sometimes It will transport equipment or vehicles from/near VSFB down to other installations such as San Diego.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:401007/mmsi:338731000/imo:9198501/vessel:ROCKETSHIP

[zubenelgenubi: Photos dated July 11.]

https://flic.kr/p/2nzK43D
https://flic.kr/p/2nzK5vf
« Last Edit: 07/22/2022 11:33 pm by zubenelgenubi »

Offline catdlr

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LOFTID Animation

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Animation of mission highlights for the upcoming launch of NASA’s cutting-edge entry, descent and landing technology: Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID).

Credits: NASA

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