• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • NEWS:
  • SatNews
  • SatMagazine
  • MilSatMagazine
  • SmallSat News
  • |     EVENTS:
  • SmallSat Symposium
  • Satellite Innovation
  • MilSat Symposium

SatNews

  • HOME
  • Magazines
  • Events
  • Perspectives
  • Industry Calendar
    • IN PERSON
    • VIRTUAL
  • Subscribe

USAFA’s TDO-3 + TDO-4 Smallsats Ready For Integration Aboard USAF’s SBIRS GEO-5 Mission

May 10, 2021

On May 4, the U.S. Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s Launch Enterprise Mission Manifest Office (MMO) has delivered two, fully tested and integrated, multi-manifest satellite vehicles, Technology Demonstration Orbiters (TDO-3 and TDO-4), to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, for integration aboard the SBIRS GEO-5 mission.

EZ-3&4 is the fully integrated flight system that will be attached to the aft-end of the Atlas V Centaur launching SBIRS Geo-5. This flight system is comprised of an adaptor plate, isolators, canisterized dispenser, and the TDO-3&4 small satellites. TDO-3 and TDO-4, are carrying multiple U.S. Government sponsored payloads that will provide critical experimental data. Photo is courtesy of USAF.

The MMO is increasing space warfighting domain flexibility by enabling expedited integration and “swap-out” capability of multi-manifest satellites late in the integration process. The SBIRS GEO-5 mission will demonstrate this “swap-out” capability by having two qualified and compatible, multi-manifest, satellites vehicles ready to be substituted, if needed, as late as two weeks prior to launch. Considering the normal integration timeline for traditional satellites is approximately 24 months, this is just another example of how SMC is driving integration flexibility and responsiveness into the National Security Space planning process and rapidly delivering capability to the warfighter.

TDO-3 and TDO-4 are carrying multiple U.S. Government sponsored payloads that will provide critical experimental data for the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). The Department of Astronautics at USAFA was the sponsor for TDO-3 and TDO-4.

This data will ultimately be used to create capabilities that assist the nation’s warfighters in performing their critical missions. The MMO used strategic partners NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA/Wallops Flight Facility and numerous industry participants to exercise this urgent effort. The multi-organizational design, analysis, manufacture, test and integration effort was performed within a nine-month period.

The successful effort also demonstrated an atmospheric modeling thesis. DNet Engineering & Integration of Denver, Colorado, operated as the bus manufacturer and payload integrator for TDO-3 and TDO-4 satellite vehicles. Parsons Corporation developed the interchangeable EZ Integrated Flight System that was designed to house the TDO-3 and TDO-4 satellite vehicles.

TDO-3 and TDO-4 will deploy into an optimized GTO after the first upper-stage Main Engine Cut Off (MECO-1) and prior to the SBIRS GEO-5 satellite’s separation. This is the third time that an early separation event has occurred as part of a National Security Space Launch (NSSL) mission. Successfully executing this early separation maximizes the operational utility and flexibility of NSSL and supports the warfighter with added capabilities in space.

Filed Under: Launch, SmallSat, SMC, U.S. Space Force Tagged With: Featured

Primary Sidebar

Most Read Stories

  • CORRECTION: Blue Origin launches their 5th human spaceflight mission
  • neXat empowers affordable satellite internet for Indonesian businesses 
  • Satellogic is a finalist for “Company Award 2022” by the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies
  • SES and Vodafone PNG to deliver 4G and 5G services to underserved areas in Papua New Guinea
  • neXat interconnects with Eutelsat ADVANCE network resulting in wider coverage and better flexibility for ISPs

About Satnews

  • Contacts
  • History

Archives

  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020

Secondary Sidebar

x
Sign up Now (For Free)
Access daily or weekly satellite news updates covering all aspects of the commercial and military satellite industry.
Invalid email address
Notify Me Regarding ( At least one ):
We value your privacy and will not sell or share your email or other information with any other company. You may also unsubscribe at anytime.

Click Here to see our full privacy policy.
Thanks for subscribing!