SSL,formerly Space Systems/Loral,LLC (SS/L),of Palo Alto,California,is a wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary of Maxar Technologies.
Orbital Sciences Corporation was an American company specializing in the design,manufacture,and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial,military and other government customers. In 2014,Orbital merged with Alliant Techsystems to create a new company called Orbital ATK,Inc.,which in turn was purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2018. The remnants of the former Orbital Sciences Corporation became a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman,known as Northrop Grumman Space Systems.
Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) is a rocket launch site on Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia,United States,just east of the Delmarva Peninsula and approximately 100 miles (160 km) north-northeast of Norfolk. The facility is operated by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,Maryland,and primarily serves to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other Federal agencies. WFF includes an extensively instrumented range to support launches of more than a dozen types of sounding rockets;small expendable suborbital and orbital rockets;high-altitude balloon flights carrying scientific instruments for atmospheric and astronomical research;and,using its Research Airport,flight tests of aeronautical research aircraft,including unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP) is a NASA program that uses robotic spacecraft to prepare for future crewed missions to the Moon. The program gathers data such as lunar radiation,surface imaging,areas of scientific interest,temperature and lighting conditions,and potential resource identification.
Minotaur-C,formerly known as Taurus or Taurus XL,is a four stage solid fueled launch vehicle built in the United States by Orbital Sciences and launched from SLC-576E at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. It is based on the air-launched Pegasus rocket from the same manufacturer,utilizing a "zeroth stage" in place of an airplane. The Minotaur-C is able to carry a maximum payload of around 1458 kg into a low Earth orbit (LEO).
In aerospace engineering,spin stabilization is a method of stabilizing a satellite or launch vehicle by means of spin,i.e. rotation along the longitudinal axis. The concept originates from conservation of angular momentum as applied to ballistics,where the spin is commonly obtained by means of rifling. For most satellite applications this approach has been superseded by three-axis stabilization.
The Minotaur is a family of United States solid fuel launch vehicles derived from converted Minuteman and Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). They are built by Northrop Grumman via contract with the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Space Development and Test Directorate (SMC/SD) as part of the Air Force's Rocket Systems Launch Program which converts retired Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles into space and test launch systems for U.S. government agencies.
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) is a commercial space launch facility located at the southern tip of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island in Virginia,just east of the Delmarva Peninsula and south of Chincoteague,Virginia,United States. It is owned and operated by the Virginia Spaceport Authority.
The Minotaur I,or just Minotaur is an American expendable launch system derived from the Minuteman II missile. It is used to launch small satellites for the US Government,and is a member of the Minotaur family of rockets produced by Orbital Sciences Corporation.
The Space Test Program (STP) is the primary provider of spaceflight for the United States Department of Defense (DoD) space science and technology community. STP is managed by a group within the Advanced Systems and Development Directorate,a directorate of the Space and Missile Systems Center of the United States Space Force. STP provides spaceflight via the International Space Station (ISS),piggybacks,secondary payloads and dedicated launch services.
The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer was a NASA lunar exploration and technology demonstration mission. It was launched on a Minotaur V rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on September 7,2013. During its seven-month mission,LADEE orbited the Moon's equator,using its instruments to study the lunar exosphere and dust in the Moon's vicinity. Instruments included a dust detector,neutral mass spectrometer,and ultraviolet-visible spectrometer,as well as a technology demonstration consisting of a laser communications terminal. The mission ended on April 18,2014,when the spacecraft's controllers intentionally crashed LADEE into the far side of the Moon,which,later,was determined to be near the eastern rim of Sundman V crater.
Minotaur IV,also known as Peacekeeper SLV and OSP-2 PK is an active expendable launch system derived from the LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM. It is operated by Northrop Grumman Space Systems,and made its maiden flight on 22 April 2010,carrying the HTV-2a Hypersonic Test Vehicle. The first orbital launch occurred on 26 September 2010 with the SBSS satellite for the United States Air Force.
Launch Pad 0 (LP-0),also known as Launch Complex 0 (LC-0),or Launch Area 0 (LA-0),is a launch complex at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island,Virginia,in the United States. MARS is located adjacent to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility (WFF),which ran the launch complex until 2003. WFF continues to provide various support services to MARS launches under contract with the Commonwealth of Virginia.
HawkSat-1 was a single-unit CubeSat which was built and is being operated by the Hawk Institute for Space Sciences (HISS),Pocomoke City,Maryland. It is based on a Pumpkin Inc. CubeSat kit,and carries a technology demonstration payload,primarily as a proof of concept mission,testing command,data and power subsystems,as well as solar panels and communications.
CP6,also known as CP6 CubeSat,CalPoly CP-6,PolySat-6 or PolySat CP6 is a single-unit CubeSat which was built and operated by the California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly). It was primarily intended to perform a technology demonstration mission. The main experiment consisted of sensors to determine the spacecraft's attitude. Cameras on the satellite will be used to verify the data returned by the attitude sensors.
The Modular Common Spacecraft Bus (MCSB) is a fast-development,low-cost,general purpose spacecraft platform. Its modular design is intended to reduce the cost,complexity,and lead time on missions by providing a reliable,well-characterized system that can carry a variety of payloads. According to NASA,"the spacecraft is roughly one tenth the price of a conventional uncrewed mission and could be used to land on the Moon,orbit Earth,or rendezvous with near-Earth objects."
The Athena II is an American small expendable launch system which was used for three launches between 1998 and 1999,and which was scheduled to return to service in 2012 but has not been flown again as of 2024. It is a member of the Athena family of rockets,along with the smaller Athena I.
The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) is a NASA mission that will test laser communication in space for extremely long distances,between Earth and geosynchronous orbit.
LADEE's Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) was a payload on NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer lunar orbiter.
The Virginia Spaceport Authority,formally better known as Virginia Space,is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia headquartered in Norfolk,Virginia focused on bringing commercial spaceflight to Virginia and providing education in aerospace technologies across the Commonwealth. Created in 1995 as the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA) in the name of states’rights by the Virginia General Assembly,Virginia Space owns and operates the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island,located within the Wallops Flight Facility. The subdivision assumed its current name in April 2023.
