The US Air Force has sent two more satellites into space for the sake of military surveillance.
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These happen to be the third and fourth satellites that are being launched under the GSSAP scheme. The work profile of the newly launch satellites will remain the same as were of GSSAP predecessors, which is to monitor objects in the GEO belt and look out for anything that could act as a threat to American satellites there.
The Orbital ATK-built satellites will operate in near-geosynchronous orbit and collect Space Situational Awareness (SSA) data for more accurate tracking and characterization of man-made objects in Earth orbit.
The U.S. Air Force has launched two more satellites created to help keep some of the nation’s most valuable military space assets safe and secure.
“The first two GSSAP satellites have performed remarkably well”, Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, Space and Missile Systems commander and Air Force program executive officer for space, reportedly said. “Enhancing space situational awareness is a top priority for the Air Force Space Command, and once again we provided innovative, reliable and affordable products to support this vital mission”.
The report cited efforts by Russian Federation and China to develop anti-satellite systems, and the potential for non-state actors to gain access to them as space technology gets smaller and more affordable.
The satellites built by Orbital ATK have been created to operate just above and below the 22,300-mile-high geosynchronous altitude.
“They are created to keep tabs on objects in geosynchronous orbit, a belt of space 36,000 kilometers (News 13 note: about 22,369 miles) above the equator that is home to the Pentagon’s critical communications and missile warning satellites”, reported Space News based off of a news release.
Assuming no issues, the satellites will enter an orbit roughly 22,300 miles (35,900 kilometers) above Earth, in an area that has no shortage of other military satellites and key communication satellites owned by both the military, the US government and private interests.
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AFSPC-6 marks ULA’s 110th mission since the company was founded in 2006 and the seventh ULA launch of 2016. The EELV program was established by the United States Air Force to provide assured access to space for Department of Defense and other government payloads.
