East, West Coast Teams Play Key Roles in Delta Launches

The Delta IV lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload June 27, 2006. Photo: Thom Baur, The Boeing Co.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (6/27/06) — June was “double duty” month for employees of The Aerospace Corporation who supported two Delta launches during the month—one from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the other from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The launches were six days apart and were the 44th and 45th successful consecutive operational launches for the U.S. Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center.

A Delta II carried the U.S. military experiment, the Micro-Satellite Technology Experiment (MiTEx), into space June 21 from Space Launch Complex 17A at the Cape. MiTEx is expected to demonstrate and investigate advanced space technologies including lightweight power and propulsion systems.

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), Air Force, and Navy collaborated to fly this space mission to test technologies that could be incorporated in future military programs. The two 500-pound micro-satellites will prove whether the technologies—for satellites and upper stages—are ready or need more work.

Aerospace supported both the rocket and payload on the launch. DARPA certified the payload for flight but by special agreement with the Space and Missile Systems Center, Aerospace augmented their certification by providing selected review and independent analyses of the payload and interfaces with the launch vehicle. Aerospace Delta II team members performed full launch verification for the launch vehicle. One of the main issues addressed by the team was verification that the Flight Termination System batteries for the rocket were flight worthy, said Art Falconer, principal director, Delta II Operations, Space Launch Operations at The Aerospace Corporation.

When the latest delivery of batteries had failed qualification and there were no other acceptable batteries available, Aerospace joined with the contractors and the Air Force in the failure investigation and recovery plan, Falconer said.

“The team provided testing, modeling, and analyses that proved to be critical in determining root cause and developing design modifications,” Falconer said. Based on the significant changes to the design, Falconer said Aerospace recommended a full requalification of the batteries to demonstrate performance margins for flight and ground processing environment.

“When the subsequent requalification uncovered additional anomalies the team, which comprised members from across the corporation's Engineering and Technology Group, was able to establish flight worthiness at low risk,” Falconer said. “Many months of effort were rewarded with nominal battery health during flight,” he said.

“In the final days leading up to the countdown, several issues were encountered that threatened to significantly delay the launch if the cause and corrective action could not be quickly established,” he added. Fuel leaks in the first stage, fastener discrepancies on the payload fairing, and interference between an electrical cable and the payload fairing all required troubleshooting and repair action on an expedited basis to minimize launch schedule impact, said Falconer.

NRO Payload

Aerospace team members provided critical assessment and verification analysis for the launch of a Delta IV and its NROL-22 payload June 27 from Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

“This mission was a milestone for a variety of reasons,” Ray Johnson, vice president of Space Launch Operations, said. It was the first Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launch from Vandenberg; the first National Reconnaissance Office mission aboard an EELV; the first Defense Department use of a medium plus Delta IV configuration, which consists of a booster core plus two solid rocket motors; and it was the first launch from the refurbished Space Launch Complex 6, Johnson said.

In preparation for the launch of the NROL-22, SLO team members completed a launch readiness verification consisting of post-flight analysis for all prior Delta IV launches, assessment of first-flight items, and Delta IV/NROL-22 mission-specific launch verification activities.

“Active participation in numerous technical and programmatic investigations, assessments, and launch rehearsals was instrumental to further build confidence in a successful NROL-22 mission,” Kirk Nygren, principal director, Mission Planning and Payload Integration, said.

The Aerospace Corporation, based in El Segundo, Calif., is an independent, nonprofit company that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for national security space programs and selected civil and commercial space programs in the national interest.

Media Inquiries: Contact Dave Jonta, 310-336-5041, david.l.jonta@aero.org