Aerospace Draws on Resources Nationwide for ARGOS Mission

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (3/22/99) -- Aerospace Corporation engineers from California, New Mexico and Florida joined forces to help make the launch of ARGOS, the largest Air Force research and development satellite ever built, a success.

ARGOS, the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite, is an exceptionally capable and promising spacecraft sponsored by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), Los Angeles. According to reports following a two-week on-orbit checkout period, it is functioning normally.

The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, Feb. 23.

ARGOS is carrying nine primary payloads with more than 30 subexperimental objectives. Two experiments are to be carried out during the second phase, which is underway and scheduled to last two months. The remaining seven experiments are to be conducted during phase three. ARGOS is designed with a required mission life of one year and a goal of three years

Ambitious Missions

The satellite will collect data on the Earth's upper atmosphere for use in military and environmental programs and will test advanced space technologies intended for use on the International Space Station. On board are three high-priority ultraviolet imaging experiments and an X-ray sensor, which will work simultaneously to provide a never-before-possible, three-dimensional picture of weather in the ionosphere.

ARGOS was placed into a near-perfect orbit by a 12-story Delta II rocket, the first Air Force Delta II to be launched from Vandenberg. The mission has proved formidable--the booster remained on the pad for four months and underwent 11 launch attempts.

During the countdowns Butch Gardner, manager of The Aerospace Corporation's Delta Systems office at

Cape Canaveral, acted as anomaly team chief, managing technical problems and coordination among personnel from Aerospace, Boeing, and the Air Force 2nd Launch Squadron, and with the SMC mission director.

"This responsibility...is an indication of respect and trust in Gardner's Delta vehicle technical expertise," said Joe Wambolt who directs the company's Vandenberg operations.

Over to Kirtland

Following separation of the satellite from the launch vehicle, the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Support Complex at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, was successful in contacting the satellite.

The complex, recently activated by SMC, replaces the satellite control center at Onizuka Air Station in California. ARGOS was the first satellite to be controlled at Kirtland from launch to first contact. It is being supported by a team of more than 40 people drawn from The Aerospace Corporation, the Air Force, Boeing and GTE.

Calling the orbit "dead on," John Willacker, vice president of Space Launch Operations at The Aerospace Corporation, congratulated the entire Delta ARGOS team which supported the launch.

Participating from The Aerospace Corporation, in addition to Gardner and others from Cape Canaveral, were engineers from the company's headquarters in El Segundo, California, the firm's Western Range

Directorate at Vandenberg and from Albuquerque.

Western Range provided launch preparation support as the satellite went through its processing cycle. Also involved were other launch specialists from the company's Eastern Range Directorate at the Cape and engineers from the Space Test and Experimentation Directorate in Albuquerque.

The Albuquerque contingent contributed to payload design, test and integration activities. Support in areas such as design assistance, integration, test, launch, early on-orbit checkout and problem resolution was delivered by the company's Engineering and Technology Group.

ARGOS also had the benefit of input from two independent readiness and review teams from The Aerospace Corporation.

Satellite Development

The satellite was developed under the guidance of the Air Force Space and Missile Test and Evaluation Directorate in Albuquerque. The ARGOS contract was awarded to Rockwell International (now Boeing) in Seal Beach in 1991.

The experiments aboard ARGOS represent a diverse set of organizations. The Navy Research Laboratory sponsored five experiments, the Air Force Research Laboratory sponsored two, and the Army and the Office of Naval Research each sponsored one.