Lockheed Satellite Launched Into Orbit By Ariane-5 For Vietnam

The Vinasat-1 communications satellite was launched into orbit by an Ariane 5-ECA rocket provided by Arianespace, with the satellite poised to serve the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) of Vietnam, satellite builder Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] announced.

Vinasat-1 launched from the European spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, South America.

Initial contact with the satellite was confirmed from the Lockheed satellite tracking station in Uralla, Australia.

Vinasat-1 is based on the Lockheed A2100A spacecraft platform and features 12 operating Ku Band transponders providing coverage over Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and part of Myanmar. The spacecraft also features 8 C-Band primary transponders providing coverage over Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Southeast Asia, India, Japan and Australia. It is designed for a minimum service life of 15 years and will be located at orbital slot 132 degrees east.

Marshall Byrd, Lockheed vice president and general manager, said the company “values VNPT as an important business partner and is proud of the trust that VNPT has placed in Lockheed Martin.”

The turnkey satellite system is expected to improve telecommunications in Vietnam by transmitting radio, television and telephone communications to all corners of the country.

Vinasat-1 will enable state-of-the-art communications, providing the Vietnamese people the opportunity to use multiple new services such as mobile broadcasting, direct- to-home television, video conferencing and data transmission. The bird will also improve the nation’s communication networks infrastructure by removing dependence on ground networks and allowing 100 percent of Vietnamese rural communities to be equipped with telephones and televisions.

“The launch of Vinasat-1 is very timely for us,” said VNPT Vice President Bui Thien Minh. “The Vietnamese economy is well on its way to becoming fully integrated with the world economy, and VNPT requires a completed telecommunications network to increase our market growth. Customers want to be offered all options for their communication needs.”

In addition to VNPT, Lockheed Martin has delivered 18 spacecraft to Asian customers, including eight A2100 satellites.

ATACMS Is Launched From HIMARS Launcher With Universal Fire Control

An Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) unitary missile launched from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher that boasted a universal fire control system, or UFCS, Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] reported.

In the test last month at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., the missile flew the planned trajectory and hit the target, which was at a range of 45.6 miles (75 km).

This was the second follow-on production test of the new ATACMS Unitary configuration that allows warfighters to use the missile in a vertical attack trajectory, an essential new capability for urban environments where low collateral damage is crucial.

It also was the first firing of an ATACMS munition from a HIMARS launcher equipped with a UFCS.

The UFCS is an evolutionary block upgrade and technology refresh of the MLRS Fire Control System. UFCS recently completed its Development and Qualification Program, and is now being delivered under the HIMARS full-rate production program.

This flight test demonstrated the missile-to-launcher interface of the new UFCS, missile performance and accuracy from launch to impact, as well as the performance of the entire system software.

ATACMS is a long-range guided missile, with each ATACMS missile packaged in an MLRS launch pod, fired from the MLRS family of launchers. ATACMS is employed in both urban and non-urban environments.

During Operation Desert Storm, ATACMS became the first tactical surface-to-surface missile ever fired in combat by the Army. It also scored numerous successes again in Operation Iraqi Freedom, during which 456 missiles were fired.

Pegasus Plane-Carried Rocket Launches Air Force Satellite, Orbital Announces

An Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] Pegasus space launch vehicle orbited an Air Force satellite, the company announced.

The Air Force Communications/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite entered low-Earth orbit.

This was the 25th consecutive successful mission for Pegasus since 1997 and the 39th overall flight of the Orbital air-launched system since its introduction in 1990, according to the company.

The Pegasus/C/NOFS mission originated from the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein, in the Marshall Islands in the mid-Pacific Ocean.

Following a one-hour long preplanned positioning flight, the Pegasus rocket was released from the Orbital L-1011 carrier aircraft.

The C/NOFS satellite, which weighed approximately 870 pounds (395 kg) at launch, was deployed into its targeted elliptical orbit of 205 by 385 nautical miles (400 by 850 km) after an 8-minute powered flight sequence.

Due to its launch from the near-equatorial Reagan Test Site, the orbit is at a low inclination of 13 degrees to the equator.

The C/NOFS satellite is a joint project of the Air Force Space and Missile Center unit, the Space Development and Test Wing, and the Air Force Research Laboratory unit, the Space Vehicles Directorate. They are based at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M.

General Dynamics Corp. [GD] designed and built the satellite and Orbital provided the launch services.