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Special Report Commercial Space Transportation QUARTERLY LAUNCH REPORT Special Report: U.S. Launch Range Modernization Programs 3rd Quarter 1999 United States Department of Transportation • Federal Aviation Administration Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation 800 Independence Ave. SW Room 331 Washington, D.C. 20591 Special Report SR-1 U.S. LAUNCH RANGE MODERNIZATION PROGRAMS The United States’ launch ranges are technologies have not kept pace with the changing experiencing considerable growth in commercial launch business. Much of the equipment and and government launch activities. The years systems at the ranges (such as tracking radars, 1997 and 1998 witnessed the greatest number telemetry systems, and fixed optical systems) were of launches from the federal launch ranges yet. installed in the 1950s and 1960s and are still used In 1998, the total number of commercial and today. It is widely acknowledged that the rapid FAA-licensed launches from U.S. launch sites reconfiguration of the launch ranges from one surpassed launches for government purposes launch to the next is a much needed capability. for the first time in U.S. space history. Realizing this capability is frustrated by out-of-date Commercial satellite services are now driving technologies and an architecture not equipped to demand for launch services worldwide. Such handle the continuing changes in space demands have resulted in the U.S. launch transportation. This capability is an important industry facing greater challenges from its element to accommodating future commercial foreign competitors. launch demands. As a result, the national security, civil, and The United States space launch ranges (see Figure commercial sectors have reached consensus 1) are undertaking a series of programs to upgrade that the United States launch infrastructure and and modernize. Before 1993 Improvement and Figure 1: The U.S. Spacelift Range System Special Report SR-2 Modernization (I&M) of the ranges was expected to be awarded in March, 2000. handled by the individual ranges on an ad hoc basis without the requirement to maintain THE UNITED STATES LAUNCH RANGES commonality between ranges. In 1993, the U.S. Air Force began a new program called The United States Air Force Space Command Range Standardization & Automation (RSA). (USAFSPACECOM) is responsible for operating This $1.6 billion program is anticipated to fully and maintaining many portions of the United modernize the U.S. space launch ranges by States’ launch range infrastructure. Although this 2006. In addition to hardware and software infrastructure was created to support mostly upgrades, the RSA program is intended to military space missions, the USAFSPACECOM standardize range operations, hardware, and today also supports civil and commercial launches. software between the ranges for common operations. A follow-on contract called The U.S. launch infrastructure is physically divided Spacelift Range Systems Contract (SLRSC) into two “ranges,” an Eastern Range (ER) and a will complete U.S. range modernization by Western Range (WR). The primary mission of the transferring all responsibilities for I&M, ranges is to support the Department of Defense integration, systems engineering, sustainment, spacelift operations. Secondary missions include and configuration management under one providing support to civilian and commercial contract. The SLRSC contract is currently in spacelift operations, ballistic missile testing, the request for proposal (RFP) phase and is aeronautical operations, and space surveillance.1 Figure 2: The U.S. Eastern Range and 45th Space Wing 1 Source: Statement of Objectives for the Spacelift Range System Contract http://www.dwsc.stai.com/slcsacq/RFP/SOO_20_May 99.htm Special Report SR-3 To accomplish these missions safely, the ranges radar, telemetry, and optical sensors located at have installed a complex system of radar and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Pillar Point Air Force optical instrumentation, telemetry equipment, Station, as well as Anderson Peak, and Santa devices to monitor the weather and surrounding Ynez Peak. The Western Range supports launch airspace and waterways, command and activities from Vandenberg Air Force Base and destruct capabilities, as well as facilities to Edwards Air Force Base (both in California). process, integrate, and disseminate all the data generated by these systems. Both ranges also provide occasional support to launches from other U.S. launch sites such as The Eastern Range (managed by the 45th NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and U.S. Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, see commercial launch facilities. Figure 2) extends from Argentia in Newfoundland to Ascension Island in the South Collectively, the two launch ranges are referred to Atlantic Ocean. The Eastern Range consists of as the SpaceLift Range System (SLRS). The Cape Canaveral Air Station, Kennedy Space official functions of the SLRS include:2 Center, and Spaceport Florida. · Protecting people, property and environment; The Western Range (managed by the 30th · Collecting, processing and distributing data for Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, safety, test and evaluation, and command and see Figure 3) provides uprange support by control; Figure 3: The U.S. Western Range and 30th Space Wing 2 Satellite and Launch Control Systems Fact Sheet (U.S. Air Force); http://www.laafb.af.mil/SMC/PA/ Fact_Sheets/cw_fs.htm Special Report SR-4 1989 1989 1990 1990 1991 1991 1992 1992 1993 1993 1994 1994 1995 1995 1996 1996 1997 1997 1998 1998 0 10 20 30 30 20 10 0 Commercial Non-Commercial Commercial Non-Commercial Figure 4. Launches by the Western Range Figure 5. Launches by the Eastern Range sites, sites, 1989 through 1998 (includes Vandenberg 1989 through 1998 (includes Cape Canaveral Air Force Base and Pegasus launches staged Air Station, Spaceport Florida, and Kennedy from Edwards Air Force Base); note: Space Center); note: “Commercial” launches “Commercial” launches includes all launches includes all launches licensed by FAA licensed by FAA · Providing communications between CHANGING LAUNCH RANGE REQUIREMENTS instrumentation sites, control centers, and outside ranges, facilities and organizations; The Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg launch sites · Supporting military, civilian and commercial conduct the majority of United States launch sub-orbital, orbital and interplanetary activities today and support both commercial and launches; U.S. Government launches. The Western Range · Testing and evaluating ballistic missiles, and Vandenberg Air Force Base conduct polar guided weapons and aeronautical LEO launches for the U.S. government, as well as programs; and commercial launches of LEO satellites such as the · Providing excess radar capacity to the Iridium system. The Eastern Range conducts all space surveillance network. launches to GEO, typically from Cape Canaveral, in addition to a variety of LEO missions for remote sensing and commercial LEO satellites. Special Report SR-5 The increase in commercial launch rates has programs. The architecture of the ranges and placed greater demands on range facilities (see much of the equipment remain basically unchanged Figures 4 and 5). Last year, commercial and to this day. The majority of today’s tracking FAA-licensed launches from the Eastern and radars, telemetry systems, fixed optical systems, Western ranges exceeded those of U.S. and flight termination command sites were built or government payloads for the first time in U.S. acquired in the late 1950s and early 1960s. space launch history. Nearly 25 percent of the components required for the major range systems are deemed obsolete and The recent deployment of commercial LEO have no source of spares. communications satellite systems is the primary driver of the relatively higher commercial launch A survey conducted in 1992 by the Air Force rates. Of the 17 commercial launches Space Command revealed a lack of conducted in 1998, for example, ten placed responsiveness to changing range demands due to spacecraft in low Earth orbit and seven were to out-of-date technologies, an inefficient geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). infrastructure, as well as an inability to support Additionally, in the last five years, fourteen new simultaneous operations.3 vehicle derivatives were introduced at the launch ranges including a new vehicle family To accommodate increased launch activities at the from Lockheed Martin in August 1995 U.S. launch sites, the ranges have identified a need (Athena). for more efficient architectures, greater responsiveness to programmatic and weather The Eastern and Western ranges were originally changes, and shorter equipment reconfiguration built in the 1950s and early 1960s as research times. and development facilities for early missile 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 I&M Projects Control/Display, Network & Instrumentation RSA Phase I SATCOM, Telemetry, CFON Phase IIA Weather, Plan & Schedule Data Infrastructure Communications Real time Range Safety Range Safety Data Processing Surveillance Control Center Operations Consoles Optics SLRSC Automated downrange Instrumentation, Sustainment Figure 6. Integrated SpaceLift Range System Modernization Schedule 3 Moorman, Thomas S., Air Force Space Command, Operational Requirements Document, Range Standardization and Automation (RSA) ACAT Level II, July 18, 1994 Special Report SR-6 To bring about these improvements, the Air modern standards and will spend over $1.0 billion Force has implemented several range between
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