Author Topic: Vulcan : USSF 106 : NET 2023  (Read 6521 times)

Online gongora

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Vulcan : USSF 106 : NET 2023
« on: 09/15/2020 11:08 pm »
One of the initial two orders given to ULA under the NSSL Phase 2 contract.  Multiple payloads to (GTO/GEO?).

One payload is the 1250kg NTS-3 satellite for testing PNT (positioning, navigation, and timing) technologies.

[Space News] Air Force Research Laboratory’s NTS-3 satellite to launch on ULA’s Vulcan
« Last Edit: 03/22/2023 05:49 pm by gongora »


Offline zubenelgenubi

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Re: Vulcan : USSF 106 : Q1 2023
« Reply #2 on: 09/08/2021 04:59 am »
Cross-post with image attached; launch scheduled Q2 FY 2023 = Q1 CY 2023 (chronological year):
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Offline Yiosie

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Re: Vulcan : USSF 106 : Q1 2023
« Reply #3 on: 08/30/2022 09:28 am »
Cross-post:

Launch now scheduled for mid-to-late 2023.

New head of AFRL space vehicles looking for talent to help push technology forward [dated Aug. 29]

Quote from: SpaceNews
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate over the next three years hopes to launch big-ticket military experiments, including a GPS-like navigation satellite, a solar power spacecraft and a deep-space mission to monitor regions around the moon.

An $84 million experiment scheduled to launch in mid to late 2023 is the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3), which will fly to a geostationary Earth orbit to augment the positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services provided by GPS satellites.

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Re: Vulcan : USSF 106 : 2023
« Reply #4 on: 01/29/2023 09:16 am »
Quote
Latest milestone brings NTS-3 Vanguard closer to 2023 launch

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFRL) - The Department of the Air Force’s Navigation Technology Satellite-3, or NTS-3, Vanguard program has reached another major milestone in preparation for the satellite’s launch in late 2023.

Industry partner L3Harris Technologies, the spacecraft prime contractor, recently delivered the NTS-3 space vehicle to an Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, integration and test facility at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The satellite integrates an agile positioning, navigation and timing, or PNT, payload to the Northrop Grumman ESPAStar bus, to provide a space platform for AFRL and partner organization experiments and integrated capability demonstrations.

In 2019, the U.S. Department of the Air Force designated NTS-3 as one of the first three Vanguard programs to deliver innovative, game-changing capabilities to the warfighter at an accelerated pace. NTS-3, which is managed by the AFRL Transformational Capabilities Office and has program partners in both the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Air Force, will push the boundary of PNT technology to pave the way for a more flexible, robust and resilient architecture for satellite navigation.

Arlen Biersgreen, the NTS-3 program manager, was thrilled to witness the delivery of the space vehicle and all ground support equipment needed for the remaining integration and test tasks.

“This major milestone marks the transition from space system development at contractor’s facilities to the final stage of integration and test activities,” Biersgreen said. “The AFRL team will be overseeing and working closely with L3Harris and other key industry partners to apply an effective combination of contractor and government resources to successfully complete this phase of the effort.”

AFRL and L3Harris are now completing the remaining intra-payload and payload-to-bus functional and performance tests, including the first radio frequency broadcast tests of the novel PNT signals that will be demonstrated from near-geosynchronous orbit after the NTS-3 launch.

Biersgreen said following those activities, the team will perform standard space environment tests that simulate the launch and space environments to verify the system is ready for the rigors of experimental operations in space. He added that experimental performance data from ground testing will be available for sharing with program partners during  the next several months.

The Global Navigation Satellite System Test Architecture, or GNSSTA, developed by the MITRE Corporation in partnership with the AFRL Sensors Directorate, is crucial for meeting end-to-end NTS-3 mission objectives. GNSSTA is a reprogrammable software-defined receiver allowing users to receive both legacy GPS and advanced signals generated by NTS-3. It lays the groundwork for future operational receivers to provide the Space Force with options to prevent and respond quickly to common threats on the battlefield, like GPS jamming and spoofing.

Dr. Joanna Hinks, the NTS-3 principal investigator, has worked closely with the Sensors team on the GNSSTA development and testing.

"The entire team is excited that earlier this month, we successfully generated signals on the actual spacecraft and received them with our experimental GNSSTA user equipment,” Hinks said. “Showing the space segment and user segment working together like that is an important step to being ready to conduct experiments on-orbit."

NTS-3 is the first U.S. experiment of its kind in nearly 50 years, since the Navy Research Laboratory’s NTS-1 and NTS-2 spacecraft led the way for the Global Positioning System, or GPS, constellation in the 1970s.

“This Vanguard not only aims to support GPS users through vital development of new technologies and techniques, but also to show how an agile and responsive U.S. satellite navigation architecture is paramount to defeating the most challenging threats to warfighter success, both today and through the coming decades,” Biersgreen said.
[Jan. 26]
https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3278985/latest-milestone-brings-nts-3-vanguard-closer-to-2023-launch/
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Online Vahe231991

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Re: Vulcan : USSF 106 : 2023
« Reply #5 on: 01/31/2023 03:50 am »
Quote
Latest milestone brings NTS-3 Vanguard closer to 2023 launch

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFRL) - The Department of the Air Force’s Navigation Technology Satellite-3, or NTS-3, Vanguard program has reached another major milestone in preparation for the satellite’s launch in late 2023.

Industry partner L3Harris Technologies, the spacecraft prime contractor, recently delivered the NTS-3 space vehicle to an Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, integration and test facility at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The satellite integrates an agile positioning, navigation and timing, or PNT, payload to the Northrop Grumman ESPAStar bus, to provide a space platform for AFRL and partner organization experiments and integrated capability demonstrations.

In 2019, the U.S. Department of the Air Force designated NTS-3 as one of the first three Vanguard programs to deliver innovative, game-changing capabilities to the warfighter at an accelerated pace. NTS-3, which is managed by the AFRL Transformational Capabilities Office and has program partners in both the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Air Force, will push the boundary of PNT technology to pave the way for a more flexible, robust and resilient architecture for satellite navigation.

Arlen Biersgreen, the NTS-3 program manager, was thrilled to witness the delivery of the space vehicle and all ground support equipment needed for the remaining integration and test tasks.

“This major milestone marks the transition from space system development at contractor’s facilities to the final stage of integration and test activities,” Biersgreen said. “The AFRL team will be overseeing and working closely with L3Harris and other key industry partners to apply an effective combination of contractor and government resources to successfully complete this phase of the effort.”

AFRL and L3Harris are now completing the remaining intra-payload and payload-to-bus functional and performance tests, including the first radio frequency broadcast tests of the novel PNT signals that will be demonstrated from near-geosynchronous orbit after the NTS-3 launch.

Biersgreen said following those activities, the team will perform standard space environment tests that simulate the launch and space environments to verify the system is ready for the rigors of experimental operations in space. He added that experimental performance data from ground testing will be available for sharing with program partners during  the next several months.

The Global Navigation Satellite System Test Architecture, or GNSSTA, developed by the MITRE Corporation in partnership with the AFRL Sensors Directorate, is crucial for meeting end-to-end NTS-3 mission objectives. GNSSTA is a reprogrammable software-defined receiver allowing users to receive both legacy GPS and advanced signals generated by NTS-3. It lays the groundwork for future operational receivers to provide the Space Force with options to prevent and respond quickly to common threats on the battlefield, like GPS jamming and spoofing.

Dr. Joanna Hinks, the NTS-3 principal investigator, has worked closely with the Sensors team on the GNSSTA development and testing.

"The entire team is excited that earlier this month, we successfully generated signals on the actual spacecraft and received them with our experimental GNSSTA user equipment,” Hinks said. “Showing the space segment and user segment working together like that is an important step to being ready to conduct experiments on-orbit."

NTS-3 is the first U.S. experiment of its kind in nearly 50 years, since the Navy Research Laboratory’s NTS-1 and NTS-2 spacecraft led the way for the Global Positioning System, or GPS, constellation in the 1970s.

“This Vanguard not only aims to support GPS users through vital development of new technologies and techniques, but also to show how an agile and responsive U.S. satellite navigation architecture is paramount to defeating the most challenging threats to warfighter success, both today and through the coming decades,” Biersgreen said.
[Jan. 26]
https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3278985/latest-milestone-brings-nts-3-vanguard-closer-to-2023-launch/
It's quite enlightening to see the first photo of the NTS-3 to be launched along with the USSF-106 launch, especially as the Vulcan edges closer and closer to its first launch, and components for the Vulcan rockets to be used for the launch of the USSF-106 and NTS-3 for the US Space Force as well as additional USSF launches and lofting the Dream Chaser spaceplane into orbit are being fabricated.

Online Vahe231991

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Re: Vulcan : USSF 106 : late 2023 or early 2024
« Reply #6 on: 03/22/2023 02:51 am »
https://spacenews.com/air-force-nts-3-navigation-satellite-to-launch-in-2023/

https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2021/04/28/launch-of-the-militarys-experimental-navigation-satellite-pushed-back-to-2023/

Delayed to 2023.
According to the NextSpaceflight website, the USSF 106 satellite launch has a launch window scheduled for NET January 2024. However, the launch might actually take place in late 2023 assuming that the Vulcan's maiden launch (scheduled for May) exceeds ULA's expectations in terms of performance.
« Last Edit: 03/22/2023 01:24 pm by Vahe231991 »

Offline Jim

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Re: Vulcan : USSF 106 : 2023
« Reply #7 on: 03/22/2023 05:02 pm »

According to the NextSpaceflight website, the USSF 106 satellite launch has a launch window scheduled for NET January 2024. However, the launch might actually take place in late 2023 assuming that the Vulcan's maiden launch (scheduled for May) exceeds ULA's expectations in terms of performance.

No, spacecraft launches seldom move to the right.

Offline woods170

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Re: Vulcan : USSF 106 : NET 2023
« Reply #8 on: 03/23/2023 08:38 am »

According to the NextSpaceflight website, the USSF 106 satellite launch has a launch window scheduled for NET January 2024. However, the launch might actually take place in late 2023 assuming that the Vulcan's maiden launch (scheduled for May) exceeds ULA's expectations in terms of performance.

No, spacecraft launches seldom move to the right.

Schedules are usually flowing from left to right: Leftmost is now, rightmost is sometime in the future.

As such:
Launches and/or spacecraft getting delayed is generally described as "moving right". In other words: moving further out into the future.
Launches and/or spacecraft happening earlier than planned is generally described as "moving left". In other words: getting closer to today.

So, if USSF 106 moves from NET January 2024 to late 2023, it moves closer to today. In other words: it moves to the left.


But I agree with Jim that spacecraft launches seldom happen earlier than originally planned.
« Last Edit: 03/23/2023 08:39 am by woods170 »

Offline AmigaClone

Re: Vulcan : USSF 106 : NET 2023
« Reply #9 on: 03/23/2023 02:16 pm »

According to the NextSpaceflight website, the USSF 106 satellite launch has a launch window scheduled for NET January 2024. However, the launch might actually take place in late 2023 assuming that the Vulcan's maiden launch (scheduled for May) exceeds ULA's expectations in terms of performance.

No, spacecraft launches seldom move to the right.

Schedules are usually flowing from left to right: Leftmost is now, rightmost is sometime in the future.

As such:
Launches and/or spacecraft getting delayed is generally described as "moving right". In other words: moving further out into the future.
Launches and/or spacecraft happening earlier than planned is generally described as "moving left". In other words: getting closer to today.

So, if USSF 106 moves from NET January 2024 to late 2023, it moves closer to today. In other words: it moves to the left.


But I agree with Jim that spacecraft launches seldom happen earlier than originally planned.


Especially in the case of new launch vehicles such as the Vulcan-Centaur which has yet to launch for the first time.

AFAIK, most of the time when a particular payload has launched earlier than originally scheduled, the schedule change involves a second payload that that would use the same launch vehicle configuration was not close to being ready by a certain launch window. In this case the first payload might be launched within what was the planned launch window for the second payload.

As an example, if SpaceX had a contract to launch a Mars mission in the 2024 launch window using a Falcon 9, but was informed that the spacecraft would not be ready in time then they might use that particular booster to launch a Starlink mission originally scheduled for later.

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Re: Vulcan : USSF 106 : NET 2023
« Reply #10 on: 03/23/2023 05:45 pm »
This mission isn't going to have any real date until a couple other missions have flown.  I don't understand why anyone is even worrying about it.

Offline Jim

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Re: Vulcan : USSF 106 : NET 2023
« Reply #11 on: 03/24/2023 10:56 am »

According to the NextSpaceflight website, the USSF 106 satellite launch has a launch window scheduled for NET January 2024. However, the launch might actually take place in late 2023 assuming that the Vulcan's maiden launch (scheduled for May) exceeds ULA's expectations in terms of performance.

No, spacecraft launches seldom move to the right.

Schedules are usually flowing from left to right: Leftmost is now, rightmost is sometime in the future.

As such:
Launches and/or spacecraft getting delayed is generally described as "moving right". In other words: moving further out into the future.
Launches and/or spacecraft happening earlier than planned is generally described as "moving left". In other words: getting closer to today.

So, if USSF 106 moves from NET January 2024 to late 2023, it moves closer to today. In other words: it moves to the left.


But I agree with Jim that spacecraft launches seldom happen earlier than originally planned.

Was thinking of something else and typed the wrong direction.

 

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