Jay Clemens
Orbital Sciences Corp. has launched three satellites into space in an effort to help the U.S. Air Force gain situational awareness of man-made objects in Earth orbit.
Two satellites took off aboard a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida on July 28 as part of the Air Force’s Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, Orbital Sciences said Friday.
The program aims to monitor the geosynchronous orbit environment for spaceflight safety missions by gathering data on space situations.
“The capabilities of the GSSAP and ANGELS satellites demonstrate Orbital’s innovative operational approaches in support of our customers’ vital missions,†said Christopher Long, Orbital’s senior vice president of national security satellite programs.
The rocket also carried another satellite that Orbital Sciences built for the Air Force Research Laboratory under the Automated Navigation and Guidance Experiment for Local Space program.
AFRL intends to identify and review methods to map the environment around the U.S. satellites through the ANGELS program.
