Orbital ATK wins U.S. Air Force satellite integration contract
NewsFebruary 15, 2017
DULLES, Va. Orbital ATK has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missiles Systems Center to provide payload integration and support services for Space Test Program Satellite 6 (STPSat-6), a multipurpose satellite program that is planned to demonstrate advanced communication capabilities, collect space weather data, and support nuclear-detonation detection in the Earth?s atmosphere or in near space.
Under the terms of the contract, Orbital ATK will integrate and test the spacecraft, deliver operations procedures, and support launch and on-orbit checkout. The satellite -- built on Orbital ATK's existing satellite bus -- is set to carry nine payloads from the Department of Defense (DoD), National Nuclear Security Administration, and NASA.
STPSat-6 is the primary payload on the STP-3 mission -- a project sponsored and managed by the Space Test Program (STP), which is the primary provider of spaceflight for the DOD's space-science and technology community -- which is set to launch no earlier than June 2019.
