Boeing Successfully Launches Delta 3

A Boeing Delta 3 launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., pad 17B, at 1105 UTC (4:05 a.m. PDT) on Aug. 23, carrying a payload simulator. This payload was launched into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. This launch is costing Boeing about US$85 million.

Designated DM-F3 for Delta Mission-Flight 3, the payload is designed to match the mass and frequency characteristics of common commercial communication satellites sized for Delta 3. The 4348 kg (9,480 lbm) payload is equipped with instruments to measure vibration response that will be used to further validate Boeing baseline data on launch vehicle performance. In addition, the simulated payload has been painted with alternating black and white stripes and has reflective material installed to support U.S. Air Force and University of Colorado satellite studies.

Boeing, the U.S. Air Force and the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) at the University of Colorado are utilizing the simulated payload from the Delta 3 launch to conduct a variety of post-launch missions and studies. Boeing prepared the payload to assist in the calibration and testing of electro-optical space imaging systems. The payload was painted with alternating white and black stripes on its midsection, and alternating black and white pie-shaped triangles on the satellite’s top plate. Reflective surfaces also have been added to provide laser cross-section targets at both visible and infrared wavelengths. By viewing the satellite under varying degrees of sunlight and dark, the USAF will also be able to verify its thermal standards and models for satellites. Other models used to predict payload dynamics will be verified by viewing the spin rate of the payload. The USAF has also expressed an interest in observing the payload as a calibration target to verify the consistency of radar and optical analyses.

CCAR will analyze the data on the payload dynamics, such as spin rate and precession angle, to determine the payload’s interactions with the orbital environment. By analyzing the data on the changes to the payload’s motions, CCAR will then be able to relate the changes to the payload’s interactions with the atmosphere and magnetic fields.

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