Athena Orbits Four Satellites in First Alaska Launch

An Athena 1 successfully launched four satellites from Kodiak Launch Complex at 0240 UTC on September 30. The satellites were Starshine 3, PICOSat, PCSat and SAPPHIRE. The US$38 million mission was the first orbital launch from Alaska’s Kodiak Island. The satellites were placed in a low Earth polar orbit. Picosat, PCSat and Sapphire were deployed into an 790 x 800 km (427 x 432 nmi) 67 degree orbit. Starshine 3 was deployed in a 467 x 474 km (252 x 256 nmi) 67 degree orbit.

Starshine 3 is a student-built satellite developed by the Rocky Mountain NASA Space Grant Consortium and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). Students will be able to visually track the satellite with the naked eye. Students will determine the coordinates of the satellite and record their observations on the Starshine Project Internet Web site. The resulting data will provide scientists with new knowledge about how the Earth's upper atmosphere reacts to fluctuations in the sun's ultraviolet radiation during a sunspot cycle. This knowledge will help NASA improve forecasts of satellite orbit decay. The U.S. Navy Research Lab's Spacecraft Engineering Department will use the fixed-point satellite to help calibrate the Navy's space surveillance network that tracks objects orbiting the Earth.

PICOSat, built by Britain's Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL), has four onboard experiments. The instruments will conduct tests of a flexible polymer battery and use Global Positioning System satellites to study the ionospheric effects on communications and navigation signals. Data also will be taken on vibration control for satellite sensors.

PCSat (Prototype Communications Satellite) is the first in a planned series of small spacecraft. It was designed, built and tested by midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy.

SAPPHIRE was built by students at Stanford University and at Washington University. The satellite will be operated by United States Naval Academy midshipmen. The satellite carries a couple of experiments and a voice synthesizer microchip designed to convert text messages into a human voice for transmission over amateur radio frequencies.

The Alaska Aerospace Development Corp. (AADC) was established  in 1991 to develop an aerospace industry Alaska. The AADC built and operates the launch complex. Three Air Force missile tests have flown sub-orbital missions from the Alaskan site, which is located about 250 miles south of Anchorage.

Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC) facilities include a Launch Control and Management Center, Payload Processing Facility, Integration Processing Facility, Launch Service Structure and Launch Pad. Range, vehicle and spacecraft operations are conducted from the Launch Control Center on launch day. The Launch Control Center also serves as the administrative and engineering support facility for the Kodiak Launch Complex. Spacecraft are received, staged, processed and validated in the Payload Processing Facility. The Payload Processing Facility high bay facilities include an airlock and processing high bay. The Integration Processing Facility is a multifunction building for receiving and processing equipment, components and flight hardware. It serves as a receiving, checkout and vehicle stage integration facility. The facility design allows the launch vehicle and satellite to be readied for launch in an enclosed environment. After the entire assembly is complete, and just prior to launch, the surrounding service structure is rotated away. The location of the Kodiak Launch Complex provides an unobstructed down-range flight path ideal for launching expendable launch vehicles with payloads requiring low-Earth polar or sun-synchronous orbits.

Lockheed Martin’s Athena has no other launches on contract, though they are in discussions with a customer who might launch out of Kodiak if they decide to launch multiple launches.

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