The 50th Operations Group at Schiever Air Force Base.

SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo.  -- When it opened for business in 1985, the installation now known as Schriever Air Force Base didn't operate any satellites at all. During the following few years, as operations floors were constructed, satellite control operations slowly transferred from Onizuka Air Force Station, Calif. Falcon AFS was originally planned to be a small, operations focused installation, with most of its support functions coming from the main installation at nearby Peterson AFB. That all had changed by 1992, when Air Force leaders decided neighborhood encroachment wouldn't pose a problem on the rolling foothills east of Colorado Springs -- and the 50th Space Wing took root. "We controlled roughly 20 Global Positioning System satellites, a few weather vehicles and some communications satellites," said 50 SW historian Randy Saunders. "We operated around 40 satellites at the time." Nearly twenty years later, the sheer number of satellites and systems operated by the 50 SW has grown by at least a third. With the recent addition of six Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellites and three of the most technologically advanced satellite systems ever imagined during the past year, the 50 SW has entered an era of unprecedented expansion and operations tempo. "The 50th Operations Group has a greater and more diverse mission set than in any time in its history," said Col. John Shaw, 50 OG commander. "And we're rising to the occasion." Colonel Shaw should know, he's worked at Schriever in one capacity or another for many of the past 20 years, serving here as a lieutenant during the early 1990s and later as a squadron commander. Twenty years ago, the 1st Space Operations Squadron held the mantle as Schriever's largest squadron, conducting GPS launch, early orbit and anomaly resolution as well as operating Defense Meteoroligical Satellite Program satellites and a few Defense Support Program satellites. The 2 SOPS conducted day-to-day operations on what was then a very small constellation of vehicles. The 3 SOPS controlled a small number of MILSATCOM satellites and 4 SOPS didn't even exist yet. By the turn of the new century 3 SOPS had taken on the Defense Satellite Communication System constellation. Today, 3 SOPS Airmen also operate the follow-on system to DSCS, the Wideband Global SATCOM system. "Each one of these satellites is more powerful in terms of capacity than the entire DSCS constellation," Shaw said. "That's how fast we jump ahead in technology. I went away for three years, came back and now see that we have three of these WGS satellites, with more on the way soon." While 3 SOPS has switched gears to a more modern, technologically advanced system, 4 SOPS is in the midst of a significant technological jump as well, as the follow-on to the Milstar system moves toward operational status. The first Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite is set to reach orbit later this year. Like WGS to DSCS, AEHF represents another advancement that will improve communications capacity and capability exponentially. Most are well versed in 2 SOPS' mission as they operate the Global Positioning System. "I think people everywhere are starting to realize how much space affects their lives," Saunders said. "From navigational tools, to banking and finance -- space is involved in practically everything." With the launch of the first GPS IIF satellite last year, 2 SOPS has taken control of the next generation of GPS satellites. The squadron is set to control several more GPS IIFs in the next two years, before moving up to the GPS block III, tentatively scheduled for launch in 2014. "This truly is an unprecedented mission set for the 50 SW," Shaw said. "However, what 1 SOPS is doing has opened up a whole new vista for us here. We took on satellite control authority of TacSat-3 last year. That's the first ever intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance asset to come to the wing and also the first Space Based Space Surveillance satellite, which surveys the heavens and improves our space situational awareness." The expansion for 1 SOPS doesn't end there. The squadron also assumed SCA of the Advanced Technology Risk Reduction satellite, a former Missile Defense Agency payload, with space situational awareness capabilities. Its fourth anticipated ISR platform, Operationally Responsive Space-1, launched on June 29 and should be operational by the end of July. All told the 50 OG currently controls 61 satellites, by far the most in its history. With ORS-1, GPS IIF-2, and AEHF-1 expected to become operational in the next few months, that number will likely reach 64 by year's end. The next WGS and AEHF satellites are due to launch early next year, so the pace will continue. This news comes with some clear challenges. For one, the 50 OG won't be gaining any new operators, managers or support personnel. "We are operating more satellites today, with drastically increased complexity, in an ever more contested and congested operational environment, with noticeably less personnel than we had even 10 years ago," said Lt. Col. Jean Eisenhut, 3 SOPS commander. "But, the increased operations tempo has also brought about new command and control systems with extensive automation capabilities, which have the potential to reduce operator workload." Eisenhut hinted that determining the right balance of operator control and automated system control is critical in order to best utilize these capabilities. "Our automation capabilities are driving us to develop space professionals here, something the command and the Air Force is counting on," she said. "For 3 SOPS in particular, we are working through reduced manning by redesigning the operational crew construct (at Vandenberg AFB), reallocating and streamlining training requirements between in-house and the school house - all to put even more emphasis on each individual's weapon system expertise, while at the same time ensuring operations support functions." With such a jump in operations tempo, Shaw points out that the importance of the 50 SW and its mission set to the warfighter, to national security and to human society, has never been greater. "We've been known here at Schriever for excellence in flying satellites since the late 1980s," he said. "But times have changed - just flying satellites well is not enough. We need to also be experts at defending and responding to threats against our systems, and above all to ensure we're providing decisive space effects wherever they are needed across the globe."

SVN - 63 Satellite

GPS IIF-2, renamed SVN-63, launched on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV vehicle 6 July at 2:41 a.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Controllers confirmed initial contact with the spacecraft at 6:14 a.m. Eastern time at a ground station on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. GPS signals from the spacecraft payload will be turned on for test purposes over the coming days. 

The ULA team is the launch provider for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Global Positioning System (GPS) Directorate by delivering replenishment satellites aboard Atlas V and Delta IV rockets. GPS satellites serve and protect our warfighters by providing navigational assistance for U.S. military operations on land, at sea, and in the air. 

This satellite delivery continues Boeing's history of support to the Air Force, and joins the previous 39 mission-compliant satellites from the GPS Block I, Block II/IIA and GPS IIF missions represented by more than 35 years of teamwork," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems. "GPS IIF contributes to building a robust GPS constellation by providing increased accuracy through improved atomic clock technology; a more jam-resistant military signal; and a more powerful and secure civilian signal to help commercial airline operations and search-and-rescue missions." 

Following launch, the Delta IV vehicle placed SVN-63 into medium Earth orbit. With safety checks completed, checkout will begin under the direction of the Air Force GPS Directorate. Checkout includes payload and system checks to verify operability with the GPS constellation of satellites, ground receivers, and the Operational Control Segment system. Boeing will officially turn over SVN-63 to the Air Force 50th Space Wing and the 2nd Space Operations Squadron this fall after the spacecraft completes on-orbit checkout. 

Civilian users around the world also use and depend on GPS for highly accurate time, location, and velocity information. GPS IIF-2 is one of the next generation GPS satellites, incorporating various improvements to provide greater accuracy, increased signals, and enhanced performance for users. 

=GPS uses 24 satellites, in six different planes, with a minimum of four satellites per plane, positioned in orbit approximately 11,000 miles above the Earth’s surface. The satellites continuously transmit digital radio signals pertaining to the exact time (using atomic clocks) and exact location of the satellites. The GPS IIF series have a design life of 12 years. With the proper equipment, users can receive these signals to calculate time, location, and velocity. 

The signals are so accurate that time can be measured to within a millionth of a second, velocity within a fraction of a mile per hour, and location to within feet. 

Receivers have been developed for use in aircraft, ships, land vehicles, and to hand carry. As a result of increased civil and commercial use as well as experience in military operations, the USAF has added the following capabilities and technologies to the GPS IIF series to sustain the space and control segments while improving mission performance:

• Two times greater predicted signal accuracy than heritage satellites.
• New L5 signals for more robust civil and commercial aviation.
• An on-orbit, reprogrammable processor, receiving software uploads for improved system operation.
• Military signal “M-code” and variable power for better resistance to jamming hostile environments, meeting the needs of emerging doctrines of navigation warfare.

Overview DELTA IV MEDIUM+ (4,2) LAUNCH VEHICLE 

Expanded The Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) consists of a single Delta IV common booster core (CBC), the Delta cryogenic second stage (DCSS), and two solid rocket motors (SRM). The CBC and the DCSS are connected by a composite cylindrical interstage adapter (ISA). The SRMs are connected to the booster by two ball-and-socket joints and structural thrusters. 

The SRMs, with a 60 in diameter and 53 ft length, are constructed of a graphite-epoxy composite. The SRMs burn for approximately 94 seconds and are jettisoned approximately 100 seconds into the flight. 

The Delta IV booster tanks are structurally rigid and constructed of isogrid aluminum barrels, spun-formed aluminum domes, machined aluminum tank skirts, and a composite centerbody. Delta IV booster propulsion is provided by the RS-68 engine system. 

The RS-68 burns cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and delivers 663,000 lb of thrust at sea level. The booster’s cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of spray-on and bond-on insulation and helium-purged insulation blankets. 

The Delta IV booster is controlled by the DCSS avionics system, which provides guidance, flight control, and vehicle sequencing functions during CBC and DCSS phases of flight. 

The boost phase of flight ends 6 seconds after main engine cutoff (MECO), when the separation charge in the interstage adapter is fi red and 16 pneumatic actuators push the spent Delta IV CBC stage and the DCSS apart. 

The DCSS stage propellant tanks are structurally rigid and constructed of isogrid aluminum ring forgings, spun-formed aluminum domes, machined aluminum tank skirts and a composite intertank truss. The DCSS is also a cryogenic liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen-fueled vehicle. It uses a single RL10B-2 engine that produces 24,750 lb of thrust. Like the CBC, the DCSS cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of spray-on and bond-on insulation, and helium-purged insulation blankets. 

An equipment shelf attached to the aft dome of the DCSS liquid oxygen tank provides the structural mountings for vehicle electronics. The structural and electronic interfaces with the satellite are provided via the payload attach fitting (PAF). The GPS missions use a 4-m diameter payload fairing (PLF). The PLF is a composite bisector (two-piece shell) fairing. The vehicle’s height, with the 38.5-ft tall PLF, is approximately 206 ft.

Dextre - Robotic Refueling Mission

An experiment riding on the final voyage of NASA's space shuttle Atlantis is set to test out technologies that could be used on future robotic spacecraft.

The experiment, called the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), is a satellite mockup that Atlantis delivered to the International Space Station when it docked on Sunday (July 10 2011). The experiment will be installed on the exterior of the outpost  (July 12 2011) during   a spacewalk conducted by two space station astronauts.RRM will serve as a trial for the orbiting lab's twin-armed Dextre robot, testing the ability to refuel and otherwise maintain a satellite in space.

Scientists will watch carefully how Dextre performs these tasks over the next two years. The information they gather could help pave the way for highly capable robotic mechanics that patrol Earth orbit, fixing or refueling satellites in space.

"We anticipate it enabling future missions, future capabilities, for the international aerospace community," Benjamin Reed, RRM deputy project manager at NASA's Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office, told reporters last week at Kennedy Space Center

The dishwasher-size RRM box is full of knobs and nozzles similar to the ones found on actual satellites. The RRM payload also includes four specialized tools, which Dextre will use to manipulate these knobs and nozzles. 

During tomorrow's (july 12 2011) spacewalk, one of the two astronauts will affix the RRM box to the exterior of the space station. Dextre, which sits at the end of the station's 57-foot-long (18-meter) Canadarm2 robotic arm, will move the box to its permanent location on the station's truss. Then the robot's dexterity test will begin.

Simulated satellite refueling is a major part of this test. This task is tricky and involved, requiring the use of all four tools to access a heavily protected satellite fuel valve.

For example, Dextre — guided by human operators in a variety of locations on Earth — will use a cutting tool to snip some securing wires around the valve, then employ two other implements to remove two different kinds of caps. Finally, it will pick up yet another tool to access the valve and introduce the simulated fuel.

Such a complex robotic operation has never been demonstrated in space before, researchers said. Dextre will also perform a variety of other similarly complicated tasks.

If everything goes well with RRM, the next step would be to launch a mission to a satellite running low on fuel. That could happen by 2013, NASA officials have said.

Laying the foundation for robotic mechanics in space

Astronauts have serviced spacecraft in orbit before. Five different shuttle missions, for example, helped fix or upgrade NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. But RRM aims to demonstrate a robotic capability that could apply across many different types of satellites — even those that weren't designed to be serviced.

This ability could end up extending the lives of many spacecraft in orbit, saving millions of dollars for the satellites' operators. RRM researchers hope the experiment provides a convincing demonstration that this technology works, and that it's worth pursuing further.  

"We're going to make this data available to everybody," said Frank Cepollina, RRM project manager at the Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office. "That is, all commercial industry that may want to leap off and start their own ventures."

RRM is a joint effort of NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.