U.S. Air Force STPSat-6 satellite to be based on Orbital ATK modular satellite bus, host nine payloads

DULLES, Va. Officials at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missiles Systems Center selected Orbital ATK (NYSE:OA) in Dulles, Virginia, to provide payload integration and support services for Space Test Program Satellite 6 (STPSat-6). The multipurpose satellite will be built on an Orbital ATK satellite bus that will be modified to fit mission requirements, such as to provide advanced communication capabilities, collect space weather data, and support nuclear detonation detection.

Under the contract, Orbital ATK will integrate and test the spacecraft, deliver operations procedures, and support launch and on-orbit check-out.

“This flexible and modular satellite bus platform provides an especially unique opportunity to host multiple instruments from three departments of government on one spacecraft, achieving customer goals at an affordable price,” says Chris Long, vice president of national space systems at Orbital ATK. Engineers will modify one of the company’s current buses into a multipurpose spacecraft.

STPSat-6 is the primary payload on the STP-3 mission, set to launch no earlier than June 2019. The satellite will carry nine payloads from the Department of Defense (DoD), National Nuclear Security Administration (NSA), and NASA.

The multiple payloads on STPSat-6 include the Space and Atmospheric Burst Reporting System (SABRS-3), NASA’s Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD), and seven experiments from the DOD Space Experiments Review Board. Orbital ATK’s heritage bus and avionics product line is designed to support multiple payloads and can be adapted to support the customer’s desired mission life.

The STP-3 mission is sponsored and managed by the Space Test Program (STP), which is the primary provider of spaceflight for the DOD space science and technology community. STP is managed by the Advanced Systems and Development Directorate of the Space and Missile Center.

Orbital ATK designs, builds, and delivers space, defense, and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems, and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems, and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 12,000 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in several international locations.

Search the Aerospace & Defense Buyer's Guide

Intelligent Aerospace, the global aerospace technology network, reports on the latest tools, technologies, and trends of vital importance to aerospace professionals throughout the industry and around the globe, including engineers, engineering managers, and other key decision-makers involved in the research & development, design, test, manufacture, maintenance, upgrade and retrofit, management, and acquisition of electronics hardware and software components, tools, and systems for commercial and military fixed-wing, rotor-wing, and unmanned aircraft, air traffic control, airport operations, satellites, and space.