NASA Awards Orbital ATK NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-2 Spacecraft

[russianhalo117]

The Ball Aerospace JPSS' were ~2500kg. OrbATK is probably similar. Orbit is 830km SSO.

LV will probably be F9.

Delta II will be gone.
A proposed Athena variant could fly it (2cS-6 with DM OAM)
Antares 231 (maybe even 221) has the performance, but I doubt they can win. Flying polar out of WFF is iffy.
Atlas V could do it easily, but $$$.

This is where a "Falcon 2" would come in handy.

 - Ed Kyle

I wonder if Orbital ATK could pay SpaceX for launch infrastructure & logistics & fly Antares from  Vandenberg AFB, SLC - 4 ?

SLC-4 pads will not fly Antares.
SLC 1W and SLC 1E: are presently inactive Thor Agena pads
SLC 2W and SLC 2E: 2E inactive Thor/Delta pad and 2W Active Thor/Delta/Delta II pad will become inactive when Delta II retires
SLC 5: Inactive Scout pads
SLC 10E and SLC 10W: inactive Thor/Delta pads

There are also 25 Inactive ICBM complexes with several pads at each that are available. Some of these have been mothballed for orbital and test launch use incase active complexes are destroyed completely.

Antares is not currently planned from VAFB, KLC, KSC or CCAFS at this time although Antares User Guide states that all US launch bases can be outfitted to support launches.

[jimvela]

Award has been formally protested...

http://spacenews.com/ball-protests-jpss-award-to-orbital-atk/

[ZachS09]

Could the last Delta II for sale launch JPSS-2? 

[russianhalo117]

Could the last Delta II for sale launch JPSS-2? 

Theoretically yes, just don't have full specs for the Orbital ATK JPSS-2 build design to know. The current Ball design is a complete yes as its already flown once on the the DII 7920-10C series.

Current launcher targets:
July 2020 - JPSS-2 - Atlas V 401/Falcon 9 v1.1/Minotaur-6 - Vandenberg SLC-2W/3E/4E/8  (or December 31)

[ZachS09]

Then let's hope that the "for sale" Delta II does get to launch in the next few years.

[ZachS09]

Could the last Delta II for sale launch JPSS-2? 

Theoretically yes, just don't have full specs for the Orbital ATK JPSS-2 build design to know. The current Ball design is a complete yes as its already flown once on the the DII 7920-10C series.

Current launcher targets:
July 2020 - JPSS-2 - Atlas V 401/Falcon 9 v1.1/Minotaur-6 - Vandenberg SLC-2W/3E/4E/8  (or December 31)

I'm guessing that the Ball design first flew in October 2011 when Suomi NPP was launched...

[russianhalo117]

Could the last Delta II for sale launch JPSS-2? 

Theoretically yes, just don't have full specs for the Orbital ATK JPSS-2 build design to know. The current Ball design is a complete yes as its already flown once on the the DII 7920-10C series.

Current launcher targets:
July 2020 - JPSS-2 - Atlas V 401/Falcon 9 v1.1/Minotaur-6 - Vandenberg SLC-2W/3E/4E/8  (or December 31)

I'm guessing that the Ball design first flew in October 2011 when Suomi NPP was launched...

yes

[arachnitect]

Award has been formally protested...

http://spacenews.com/ball-protests-jpss-award-to-orbital-atk/

Protest denied. OrbATK keeps the contract.

http://spacenews.com/orbital-atk-keeps-jpss-work-after-gao-strikes-down-protest/

I think the protest should have been upheld. OrbATK's bid is super sketchy.

[gongora]

Protest denied. OrbATK keeps the contract.

http://spacenews.com/orbital-atk-keeps-jpss-work-after-gao-strikes-down-protest/

I think the protest should have been upheld. OrbATK's bid is super sketchy.

Why do you think it's sketchy?  Because OrbATK isn't charging the full price of designing a satellite for every additional copy of it they build?  They seem to be betting they can get their production cost down pretty low by the time they build the third one, and they're probably right.  Remember these prices don't include the weather instruments.

[arachnitect]

Protest denied. OrbATK keeps the contract.

http://spacenews.com/orbital-atk-keeps-jpss-work-after-gao-strikes-down-protest/

I think the protest should have been upheld. OrbATK's bid is super sketchy.

Why do you think it's sketchy?  Because OrbATK isn't charging the full price of designing a satellite for every additional copy of it they build?  They seem to be betting they can get their production cost down pretty low by the time they build the third one, and they're probably right.  Remember these prices don't include the weather instruments.

They're betting the options won't get exercised.

Gov't is trading more $ and risk now for the chance at saving money in 2028. That's insane.

edit: I should clarify. I don't object to the government spending more now to save later; they should do it more often. In this case, however, the future optional orders are suspiciously cheap. Can OrbATK really build JPSS-4 for 1/3 the cost of JPSS-2? I don't think they can, and I don't think they're planning on doing it. They're betting that the program will be cancelled* or the requirements will change and OrbATK will be able to favorably renegotiate the contract. Even if the government exercises their options and orders all 3 satellites, I think it will go wrong: bad things happen when the contractor is losing money. Of course the people who signed this contract will all be gone by the time JPSS-4 starts, so they'll escape the fallout.

Ball had a lower bid to build JPSS-2 and has experience building Suomi and JPSS-1. There are serious concerns about coverage gaps if either JPSS-1 or JPSS-2 are lost. After everything this program has been through, they're going to switch contractors now?

I predict this will go poorly and the government will end up spending more money, not less.

*JPSS-3 and -4 will be a different program/budget line... their future is much less certain than JPSS-2. Why they were even part of this contract is beyond me.

[AnalogMan]

Now that the protest by Ball Aerospace has been dismissed, NASA have today published the original Decision Document that awarded the contract to Orbital ATK.

See: https://prod.nais.nasa.gov/eps/eps_data/166385-FOLS-001-001.pdf

(Copy also attached)

[Star One]

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Joint Polar Satellite System-2 Mission

NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC (ULS) of Centennial, Colorado, to provide launch services for the Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Launch is currently targeted for 2021 on an Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The total cost for NASA to launch JPSS-2 is approximately $170.6 million, which includes the launch service and other mission-related costs.

JPSS is a collaborative program between NOAA and NASA. This interagency effort is the latest generation of NOAA polar-orbiting environmental weather satellites. JPSS-2 is one of five satellites that will comprise the JPSS constellation. These spacecraft gather global measurements of atmospheric, terrestrial and oceanic conditions, including sea and land surface temperatures, vegetation, clouds, rainfall, snow and ice cover, fire locations and smoke plumes, atmospheric temperature, water vapor and ozone. JPSS delivers key environmental observations that provide support for the nation's essential products and services. This includes forecasting severe weather such as hurricanes and tornadoes, predicting blizzards days in advance, and assessing other environmental hazards such as droughts, forest fires, poor air quality and harmful ocean conditions, particularly along the coasts. Further, JPSS will provide continuity of critical, global Earth observations — including our atmosphere, oceans and land.

NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the ULS launch service. The JPSS Flight Project office is located at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and manages spacecraft development for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in partnership with NOAA in Washington, D.C.

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

[jacqmans]

NASA Selects United Launch Alliance Reliable Atlas V Rocket to Launch JPSS-2 Mission

Centennial, Colo. (March 3, 2017) –  NASA’s Launch Services Program announced today that it selected United Launch Alliance’s (ULA’s) proven Atlas V vehicle to launch the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-2) mission, the third in the nation's new generation polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite system.  This award resulted from a competitive Launch Service Task Order evaluation under the NASA Launch Services II contract.

“We are honored that NASA has entrusted ULA with launching this important environmental sensing satellite,” said Laura Maginnis, ULA’s vice president of Government Satellite Launch. “The tremendous heritage of 70 consecutive successful Atlas V launches, coupled with ULA’s high schedule certainty and proven reliability provides the best value for our customer. We look forward to working together again with our mission partners at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Goddard Space Flight Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the integration and launch of this critical mission for the nation.”

The JPSS-2 mission is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2021 from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This mission will launch aboard an Atlas V 401 vehicle.

ULA also will launch NASA’s JPSS-1 mission scheduled for September of this year from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a Delta II rocket. JPSS-2 will be the 34th launch with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center team using ULA and ULA heritage vehicles, and the 42nd for NASA under NASA Launch Services Program contracts.

The JPSS Program is a multi-satellite cooperative program between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to design, develop and fly the next series of U.S. civilian polar-orbiting environmental-sensing satellites. The JPSS Program implements NOAA’s requirements for collection of global multi-spectral radiometry and other specialized meteorological, oceanographic, and solar-geophysical data via remote sensing of land, sea and atmospheric properties.

With more than a century of combined heritage, United Launch Alliance is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 115 satellites to orbit that provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, enable personal device-based GPS navigation and unlock the mysteries of our solar system.

[Star One]

Is this going to be a more substantial spacecraft than the first otherwise the 401 looks a bit overkill performance wise?

[Skyrocket]

Is this going to be a more substantial spacecraft than the first otherwise the 401 looks a bit overkill performance wise?

There wasn't much choice: Atlas-5(401) or Falcon-9 are overkill performance wise. Antares has no launchsite for SSO and Minotaur has not enough peformance.

[edkyle99]

Is this going to be a more substantial spacecraft than the first otherwise the 401 looks a bit overkill performance wise?

There wasn't much choice: Atlas-5(401) or Falcon-9 are overkill performance wise. Antares has no launchsite for SSO and Minotaur has not enough peformance.

Does this win tell us that 401 is now cheaper than Falcon 9?

 - Ed Kyle

[ugordan]

Does this win tell us that 401 is now cheaper than Falcon 9?

I'd venture a guess that it's more of a statement on what NASA LSP thinks of SpaceX schedule, reliability and processes.

[baldusi]

Does the payload requires vertical integration? Or is it a Cat A payload?

[russianhalo117]

Does the payload requires vertical integration? Or is it a Cat A payload?

The Ball Spacecraft bus for NPP and JPSS-1 is VI only. LeoStar-3 bus supports both VI and HI. Payload I think is VI since its same instruments as NPP which was Vertically process and integrated.