US Air Force launches its third and fourth GSSAP satellites

“A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket carrying twin space surveillance satellites for the U.S. Air Force lifted off early this morning from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida”.

“Data from GSSAP will uniquely contribute to timely and accurate orbital predictions, enhancing our knowledge of the geosynchronous orbit environment, and further enabling spaceflight safety to include satellite collision avoidance”, the ULA said in a statement describing the mission.

The liftoff took place atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium rocket on Friday at 12.52am EDT from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The satellites are the third and fourth satellites of the program. 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.

AFSPC-6 will deliver two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites to near-geo¬synchronous orbit.

A pair of military spacecraft created to detect “space mines” blasted into space Friday.

That’s a valuable region where military and commercial satellites match the speed of Earth’s rotation and so appear to fly in fixed positions high over the planet, in what are called geosynchronous or geostationary orbits. “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”. “Our industry leading satellite systems based on flight proven GEOStar, LEOStar, Cygnus and ESPAStar platforms are helping to reshape the boundaries of National Security Space and Civil Space”.

The Air Force Space Command-operated satellite constellation serves as a dedicated space surveillance network sensor for U.S. Strategic Command space surveillance operations and collects data on man-made orbiting objects for the Joint Functional Component Commander for Space, the service branch added. 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. Orbital ATK was the project’s prime contractor responsible for overall system design and development.