Delta 4 rocket hurls defense communications satellite into space
Posted on: Saturday, 30 August 2003, 06:00 CDT
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Florida (AP) -- A Boeing Delta 4 rocket roared from its seaside pad, carrying into space the last installment of the U.S. Air Force's Defense Satellite Communications System.
The 6,025-pound (2,711-kilogram) Lockheed Martin-built satellite is the 14th in the system and will become one of five primary satellites that make up the constellation. The others perform a backup role.
The system, considered the backbone of military communications, provides secure voice and data communications. It is used to relay messages between the White House, Department of Defense officials, battlefield commanders and diplomats.
It is designed to be jam-resistant and to survive a nuclear exchange.
The $210 million satellite, which will operate from a geostationary orbit 22,300 miles (35,880 kilometers) above the equator, has an expected life span of 10 years. It will replace an older unit to provide coverage over the western Atlantic communications zone. The older satellite, launched in 1995, will be moved to a backup position.
The Boeing Delta 4 medium rocket that lofted the satellite was developed under the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, which provided financial incentives to both Boeing and competitor Lockheed Martin to create dependable, affordable launches for military payloads.
Boeing was to launch 19 of the planned missions, while Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5 was to carry seven others. But in July, the Air Force stripped Boeing of seven of those missions and gave them to Lockheed Martin, ruling that Boeing had stolen trade secrets from Lockheed Martin during competition for the $1.88 billion contract in 1998.
The Air Force pegged the value of the transferred missions at about $1 billion.
The Air Force also banned Boeing from bidding on future EELV contracts until the Air Force is satisfied that Boeing has made changes to make sure such an incident won't be repeated. Three new EELV missions were also awarded to Lockheed Martin, bringing its total to 17.
Friday's launch was the first EELV mission for Boeing since the reassignment of those launches.
The launch had been delayed from earlier in the month to complete tests on the rocket's thermal protection system and to replace an antenna. The launch was delayed again from Thursday afternoon due to bad weather at Cape Canaveral.
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