SBIRS-GEO 2

Launch data: Designation  39120 / 13011A Launch date  19 March 2013 - 21:21 UT Launch site  CC, SLC-41 Launch vehicle  Atlas-5/401 (AV-037) Mission  Early warning Geostationary orbit on Mar 30: Perigee / Apogee  35712 x 35760 km Eccentricity   Inclination  5.65 deg Period  1433.50 min

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer  Lockheed Martin Platform  A2100M Operator  USAF Mass at launch  4833 kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment  2 SBIRS sensors (scanning and staring) Solar array  2 deployable solar arrays Stabilization   Propulsion  LEROS-1C DC power   Design lifetime

Photo Credit: United Launch Alliance

Description:

• SBIRS GEO-2 is a military satellite which will bolster and upgrade the U.S. military's infrared surveillance system that continuously scans the world looking for enemy missile launches and sounding the alarm to fight back against an incoming threat.

Mission details:

• The spacecraft was shipped to the Florida spaceport aboard a C-5 aircraft from Lockheed Martin's Sunnyvale, Calif., factory on Jan. 11, 2013. It has been undergoing final testing in preparation for fueling and encapsulation in the rocket's nose cone. The craft will be delivered to the VIF for mating atop the Centaur in early March.
• The second geostationary satellite in the Space-Based Infrared System was launched into geostationary transfer orbit on Mar 19, 2013 on Atlas V flight AV-037. The SBIRS GEO satellites are built by Lockheed Martin and probably have a mass of around 4500 kg. SBIRS carries two infrared telescopes, one with a staring sensor and one scanning. The SBIRS system also includes secondary payloads on NRO elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites.
• Parking orbit of about 174 x 1060 km x 26.7 deg was reached at 2136 UTC; GTO of 182 x 35804 km x 22.2 deg at 2149 UTC; and the Centaur separated at 2204 UTC to let SBIRS begin its independent climb to GEO altitude.