USAF RL
Organisation · USA
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
American agency. USAF Research Laboratory, USA.
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Chronology
7 events
2003 January 29
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. Launch Pad: SLC17B. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Delta 7925-9.5.- XSS-10 - .
Mass: 28 kg (61 lb). Nation: USA.
Manufacturer: USAF RL.
Class: Technology.
Type: Rendezvous technology satellite. Spacecraft: XSS.
USAF Sat Cat: 27664 . COSPAR: 2003-005B. Apogee: 811 km (503 mi). Perigee: 524 km (325 mi). Inclination: 39.75 deg. Period: 97.95 min.
On-orbit servicing technology demonstrator. XSS-10, a 28 kilogram microsatellite, was launched as a secondary payload aboard the Delta 2 launch vehicle carrying a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) satellite. The mission demonstrated the complex interactions of line-of-sight guidance with basic inertial maneuvering. The micro-satellite was attached to the Delta 2 second stage. Once the second stage separated from the GPS satellite, the microsatellite waited for a sunlit Air Force Space Control Network pass before ejecting from the second stage. Once ejected, the microsatellite commenced an autonomous inspection sequence around the second stage, and live video was transmitted to ground stations. The entire mission lasted only 24 hours. Launch delayed from June 11 and August 16, 2001; March 6, April 29, August 11 and November 7, 2002.
2005 April 11
13:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC8. LV Family: Minuteman. Launch Vehicle: Minotaur 1.- USA 165 - .
Payload: XSS-11. Mass: 145 kg (319 lb). Nation: USA.
Agency: USAF RL.
Manufacturer: Lockheed.
Class: Technology.
Type: Rendezvous technology satellite. Spacecraft: XSS.
Decay Date: 2013-11-12 . USAF Sat Cat: 28636 . COSPAR: 2005-011A. Apogee: 872 km (541 mi). Perigee: 840 km (520 mi). Inclination: 98.80 deg. Period: 102.10 min.
Delayed from November 9, 2004; January 19, March 18, 2005. Military Autonomous Rendezvous Technology. It tested navigation technologies for rendezvous that directly measured relative position to the target satellite. It was have to rendezvoused with several defunct American satellites. However it was only known to have conducted operations with its own Minotaur upper stage
2006 December 16
12:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Wallops Island. Launch Complex: Wallops Island LA0B. LV Family: Minuteman. Launch Vehicle: Minotaur 1.- Tacsat-2 - .
Mass: 370 kg (810 lb). Nation: USA.
Agency: USAF RL.
Manufacturer: MicroSats.
Program: Tacsat.
Class: Surveillance.
Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Road Runner.
Spacecraft: Tacsat ORS.
Decay Date: 2011-02-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 29653 . COSPAR: 2006-058A. Apogee: 426 km (264 mi). Perigee: 410 km (250 mi). Inclination: 40.01 deg. Period: 92.93 min.
Tacsat-2 was a prototype rapid development/rapid deployment tactical military satellite that provided American Joint Task Force commanders direct control of a satellite providing both SIGINT and imagery with a resolution of better than 1-m. The known communications payload used an 8 GHz (X-band) downlink. This was the first orbital launch from Wallops Island since 1985. TacSat-2 was to have been launched by a Falcon-1 from Vandenberg into a sun-synchronous orbit. However, the failure of Falcon-1 on its long-delayed maiden in March 2006 caused AFRL to award a new launch contract for TacSat-2 and TacSat-3 to OSC in May 2006. The launch was achieved using OSC's Minotaur launch vehicle only seven months after contract award.