Triana Sat Eyed For Competitive Test Launch

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Source: Aviation Week

Air Force officials are proposing in their fiscal 2012 budget plan to fund a launch of a NASA satellite to provide competition for potential new entrants to the rocket market.

The service is requesting $135 million in the fiscal 2012 budget, sent to Congress in February, to fund the competition for launching NASA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite, says Maj. Gen. John Hyten, director of space programs for the Air Force’s acquisition office. The satellite, formerly known as Triana, was proposed by former Vice President Al Gore while in office to provide a near constant stare at Earth from geosynchronous orbit as well as other scientific data. It was pulled from the ill-fated 2003 Columbia Shuttle mission and shelved thereafter during the George W. Bush administration.

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Though the parameters for the competition have not yet been sorted out, Hyten says that the launch will be designed to demonstrate a variety of requirements. “They may have to do an upper stage coast, for example … That is a very important capability for us – getting into geosynchronous orbits,” he tells Aviation Week. “I would imagine it is going to be a fairly interesting launch.” The satellite was designed for it to operate with a continuous sun-lit view of Earth, which will require for it to be positioned at the Earth’s Lagrangian point roughly 932,000 mi. from the planet.

The satellite’s size is suitable for launch on rockets in the United Launch Alliance Delta II or SpaceX Falcon 9 class. Air Force officials say this launch, which the service was directed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense to fund, will provide an opportunity for new entrants, such as the Falcon 9, to compete for work.

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The launch is slated for fiscal 2014.