Orbcomm launch

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket has successfully blasted-off with ORBCOMM’s constellation of six OG2 commercial communications satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) in Florida, US.

The 224ft rocket lifted-off with 1.3 million pounds of thrust from the launchpad over the Atlantic Ocean, marking the beginning of a mission that had suffered several delays due to ground support equipment (GSE) issues.

ORBCOMM chief executive officer Marc Eisenberg said: "The successful launch of the first OG2 mission is a testament to the entire OG2 team at ORBCOMM, SpaceX, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Boeing, and Moog, and I’d like to thank them for their hard work and dedication."

The second-generation constellation is anticipated to bolster the capacity of the ORBCOMM network from six to 12 times more.

"Each spacecraft is powered by a gallium-arsenide solar panel that generates 400W of electrical power and offer operational lifespan of at least five years."

Upon an initial health check, the satellites will go through extensive in-orbit testing (IOT) to validate the proper functioning of all subsystems and make them capable of offering full-scale commercial M2M messaging and AIS services within the next 60 days.

Of the overall eighteen Orbcomm Generation 2 (OG2) satellites produced, one had been lost in the 2012 breakdown; six are aboard the latest launch; with the remaining 11 satellites expected to be launched later this year aboard a single Falcon.

Based on Sierra Nevada’s SN-100A bus, each spacecraft is powered by a gallium-arsenide solar panel that generates 400W of electrical power and offer operational lifespan of at least five years.

With Sierra Nevada being the prime contractor for the programme, Argon ST is responsible for the production of its communications subsystems.

Image: Falcon 9 lifting off from SpaceX’s LC-40 at Cape Canaveral. Photo: courtesy of Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Defence Technology