Orbital Sciences Corporation
announced today that it will design, build and test the Galaxy
Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite for NASA under a contract with the
California Institute of Technology (CalTech). For the $16.5 million satellite program, Orbital will provide the spacecraft platform, integrate and test the GALEX instrument, build and qualify the satellite ground control system, and provide launch vehicle and mission operations support. The GALEX satellite will explore the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars and heavy elements using an onboard ultraviolet telescope.
CalTech was recently notified that GALEX had been selected under NASA’s
Small Explorer (SMEX) program, which provides frequent flight opportunities
for relatively inexpensive space missions. SMEX spacecraft generally weigh
between 150 and 250 kg. GALEX and other SMEX spacecraft will investigate some
of the most important questions raised in astrophysics, space physics and
Earth sciences. Orbital has already supported the SMEX program by
successfully launching the Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer (FAST) satellite
aboard its Pegasus(R) rocket in August 1996.
Mr. Jack Danko, Vice President of NASA/Civil Space Programs in Orbital’s
Space Systems Group said, “We are extremely pleased to be able participate in
and support CalTech’s important scientific mission. As the world’s leader in
small satellites, Orbital is proud to build and launch satellites that add to
our understanding of the galaxy in which we live. The GALEX satellite program
continues our support of NASA’s Office of Space Science. Along with GALEX,
Orbital is also building the larger Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
(FUSE) satellite for another of their programs, the Medium-Class Explorers
(MIDEX) initiative.”
The GALEX spacecraft is scheduled to be launched in 2001 aboard a Small
Expendable Launch Vehicle II (SELVS II) class rocket, which includes Orbital’s
Pegasus rocket, into a targeted 690 km. circular orbit, inclined at 28.5
degrees to the equator. The mission is planned to last approximately 28
months. The ground system will utilize Orbital’s satellite control center in
Dulles, Virginia; Orbital’s S-band ground station located in West Virginia for commanding the spacecraft; the FUSE S-band ground station at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, for backup spacecraft commanding; and an X-band station at the same location for downlink of high-rate scientific data. A backup mission control center will be located at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Orbital’s satellite control center is currently being used for spacecraft command and control, as well as image retrieval and dissemination, from both the OrbView-1 and OrbView-2 satellites.
