fltsatcom-e press kit

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[I,~NA\SA NewsNational Aeronautics andSpace AdministrationWashington. D C 20546AC 202 755-8370

For Release IMMEDIATE

Press Kit ProjectRELEASE NO: 81-93

Contents

GENERAL RELEASE ............... ...................... * 1

ATLAS CENTAUR LAUNCH VEHICLE .............................. 4

.JAU4CH VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS............................ 5

LAUNCH OPERATIONS ... . .............. ................... 6

LAUNCH SEQUENCE FOR FLTSATCOM-E........................... 7

THE NASA FLTSATCOM TEAM. ............................... . 8

July 16, 1981

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NAtSA NewsNational Aeronautics andSpace AdministrationWashington D C 20546AC 202 755-8370

For ReleaseKen SenstadHeadquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE(Phone: 202/755-8330)

Linda PetersonLewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio(Phone: 216/433-4000, Ext. 438)

RELEASE NO: 81-93

FIFTH FLTSATCOM TO BE LAUNCHED

The fifth FLTSATCOM communications satellite, FLTSATCOM-E,will be launched by NASA from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., noearlier than Thursday, Aug. 6, 1981. The Department of Defensesatellite is intended for service over the eastern Pacific Ocean.

FLTSATCOM-E will be placed in a geostationary orbit at 73degrees west longitude above the equator, where it will providetwo-way communications in the 240 to 400 MHz frequency band,between any two points on Earth visible from its orbital loca-tion. The spacecraft has a design life of five years.

The FLTSATCOM program is managed by the Naval ElectronicSystems Command. The Air Force Space Division, Los Angeles, isresponsible for production, launch vehicle/spacecraft integrationand tracking and data acquisition.

July 16, 1981

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The FLJTSATCOM satellites are the spaceborne portion of aworldwide Navy, Air Force and Department of Defense system toenable communications between naval aircraft, ships, submarines,ground stations, Strategic Air Command elements and presidentialcommand networks.

The satellite system will provide 23 ultra high frequencycommunication channels and one super high frequency channel.

This will be the 57th launch of an Atlas Centaur, NASA'sstandard launch vehicle for intermediate-weight payloads. Thefirst Atlas Centaur was launched May 8, 1962.

NASA is reimbursed for all additive costs of the AtlasCentaur and launch services by the Department of Defense underprovisions of a launch services agreement.

The Atlas Centaur (AC-59) launch vehicle will placeFLTSATCOM-E into a highly elliptical orbit of 167 by 35,970 kilo-meters (104 by 22,351 miles). Atter reorientation of the satel-lite, a solid propellant rocket motor aboard the spacecraft willbe fired to circularize the orbit at a synchronous altitude of35,788 km (22,237 mi.). At that altitude, because che speed ofthe spacecraft in orbit matches the rotational speed of theEarth, the satellite remains in position over one spot on theequator.

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NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, has managementresponsibility for the Atlas Centaur development and operation.NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is assigned vehicle checkoutand launch responsibility once the vehicle reaches CapeCanaveral.

The FLTSATCGM satellites, built in Redondo Beach, Calif., bythe Defense and Space Systems Group of TRW, Inc., are 6.7 meters(22 feet) tall and weigh 1,876 kilograms (4,136 pounds) at lift-off and 1,005 kg (2,215 lb.) after apogee motor firing.

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE; DETAILED INFORMATION FOLLOWS.)

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ATLAS CENTAUR LAUNCH VEHICLE

The Atlas Centaur is NASA's standard launch vehicle forintermediate weight payloads. It is used for the launch of Earthorbital, Earth synchronous and interplanetary missions.

Centaur was the nation's first high energy, liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen propelled rocket. Developed and launched under thedirection of NASA's Lewis Research Center, it became operationalin 1966 with the launch of Surveyor 1, the first U.S. spacecraftto soft-land on the Moon's surface.

Since that time, both the Atlas booster and Centaur secondstage have undergone many improvements. At present, the vehiclecombination can place 4,536 kg (10,000 lb.) in low Earth orbit,1,882 kg (4,150 lb.) in a synchronous transfer orbit and 907 kg(2,000 lb.) on an interplanetary trajectory.

The Atlas Centaur, standing approximately 39.9 m (131 ft.)high, consists of an Atlas SLV-3D booster and Centaur D-lARsecond stage. The Atlas booster develops 1,920 kilonewtons(431,300 lb.) of thrust at liftoff using two 822,920-newton(185,000-lb.) thrust booster engines, one 266,890-N (60,000-lb.)thrust sustainer engine and two vernier engines developing 2,890N (650 lb.) thrust each. The two RL-10 engines on Centaur pro-duce a total of 133,450 N (30,000 lb.) thrust. Both the Atlasand the Centaur are 3 m (10 ft.) in diameter.

Until early 1974, Centaur was used exclusively in combina-tion with the Atlas booster. It was subsequently used with aTitan III booster to launch heavier payloads into Earth orbit andinterplanetary trajectories.

The Atlas and the Centaur vehicles have beer, updated overthe years. Thrust of the Atlas engines has been increased about22,400 N (50,000 lb.) since their first use in the space programin the early 1960s.

The Centaur D-1AR has an integrated electronic system thatperforms a major role in checking itself and other vehicle sys-tems before launch and also maintains control of major eventsafter liftoff. The new Centaur system handles navigation andguidance tasks, controls, pressurization and venting, propellantmanagement, telemetry formats and transmission, and initiatesvehicle events. Most operational needs can be met by changingthe computer software.

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LAUNCH VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS

Liftoff weight including spacecraft: 148,173 kg(326,665 lb.)

Liftoff height: 39.9 m (131 ft.)Launch Complex: 36

Atlas Booster Centaur Stage

Weight (with 129,397 kg 18,826 kgpropellants) (285,272 lb.) (41,504 lb.)

fleight 21.3 m (70 ft.) 18.6 m (61 ft.)with payloadfairing

Thrust 1,920 kn 133,447 N(431,300 lb.) (30,000 lb.)at sea level in vacuum

Propellants Liquid oxygen Liquid oxygen andand RP-1 liquid hydrogen

Propulsion MIA-5 system two Two 66,723-N822,920-N (185,000- (15,000-lb.)lb.) thrust booster thrust RL-10engines, one 266,890-N engines, 12 small(60,000-lb.) thrust hydrogen peroxidesustainer engine, two thrusters.2,890-N (650-lb.)thrust vernier engines.

velocity 8,642 km/hr (5,370 mph) 35,021 km/hrat booster engine cutoff (21,761 mph)(BECO), 12,971 km/hr at spacecraft(8,060 mph) at sustainer separation.engine cutoff (SECO).

Guidance Preprogrammed profile Inertial guidancethrough BECO. Switch toinertial guidance forsustainer phase.

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LAUNCH OPERATIONS

NASA's Kennedy Space Center is responsible for the prep-aration and launch of Atlas Centaur AC-59 which will loftFLTSATCOM-E into orbit.

The Atlas Centaur vehicle arrived by C5A transport plane atthe Skid Strip on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on April 29.The Atlas booster stage was erected at Launch Complex 36's Pad Bon May 4. The following day, the Centaur stage was mated atopthe Atlas. The first power-on testing started on the 28th ofMay. A Terminal Countdown Demonstration test was conducted July8 to verify the integrity of the vehicle-to-ground systems in anenvironment duplicating launch conditions.

The FLTSATCOM-E spacecraft arrived June 29 and underwentinitial checkout in the Air Force's Satellite Assembly Buildingon Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft was moved toSpacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 in the KennedySpace Center's Industrial Area on July 17 for mating with itsapogee kick motor, loading attitude control propellant and encap-sulation in the payload shroud which will protect it during itsflight through the atmosphere.

The spacecraft and payload fairing assembly will be matedwith the launch vehicle at Complex 36 on July 28.All launch vehicle and pad operations during the launchcountdown are conducted from the blockhouse at Complex 36 by ajoint NASA-industry team.

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THE NASA FLTSATCOM TEAM

NASA HeadquartersDr. Stanley I. Weiss Associate Administrator forSpace Transportation Operations

Joseph B. Mahon Director, Expendable LaunchVehicles

F. R. Schmidt Manager, Atlas Centaur LaunchVehicle

Lewis Research Center

Dr. John F. McCarthy, Jr. Director

Dr. John Klineberg Associate Director

Lawrence J. Ross Director, Spdce

J. E. Patterson Chief, Vehicles EngineeringDivision

S. V. Szabo, Jr. Deputy Chief, Launch VehiclesDivisionKenneth A. Adams FLTSATCOM Mission ProjectEngineer

Richard W. Heath FLTSATCOM Vehicle Engineer

Kennedy Space Center

Richard G. Smith Director

Thomas S. Walton Director, Cargo Operations

Charles D. Gay Director, Deployable PayloadsOperations

John Gossett Chief, Centaur Operations

Barry Olton Spacecraft Coordinator

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(Index: 9, 21, 29)

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