P91-1 ARGOS
Artist's rendition of ARGOS
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| Mission type | Space environment |
|---|---|
| Operator |
AFRL NRL STP |
| COSPAR ID | 1999-008A |
| SATCAT no. | 25634 |
| Mission duration | 3 years (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Launch mass | 2,450 kilograms (5,400 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | February 23, 1999, 10:29:55 UTC |
| Rocket | Delta II 7920-10 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-2W |
| Contractor | Boeing |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 31 July 2003 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous |
| Perigee | 828 kilometers (514 mi) |
| Apogee | 842 kilometers (523 mi) |
| Inclination | 98.78 degrees |
| Period | 101.47 minutes |
| Epoch | 5 December 2013, 06:21:33 UTC |
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The Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS), not to be confused with the Argos System which employs Argos satellites, was launched on 23 Feb 1999 carrying nine payloads for research and development missions by nine separate researchers. The mission terminated on 31 July 2003.
ARGOS was launched from SLC-2W, Vandenberg AFB, CA, atop a Boeing Delta II (7920-10). Construction of the spacecraft bus and integration of the satellite's payloads was accomplished by Boeing at their Seal Beach, CA facility. The program was funded and led by the DoD's Space Test Program (STP) as mission P91-1 (the first STP mission contract awarded in 1991).
The $220M mission was operated by Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center's Test and Evaluation Directorate (then Space Development and Test Wing, now SMC's Advanced Systems and Development Directorate) from their RDT&E Support Complex (RSC) at Kirtland AFB, NM. ARGOS was the first mission operated 100% from the new state-of-the-art, commercial-off-the-shelf Kirtland facility; all previous SMC satellite missions had been operated in total or at least in part from the preceding center at Onizuka AFS, CA.
"The ARGOS satellite will provide a tremendous payoff in critical technologies such as imaging, satellite propulsion and space-based computing. These areas will become important as more and more applications of space are developed," said Colonel Tom Mead, program manager of the DoD Space Test Program.
The ARGOS had a design life of three years and was part of the DoD Space Test Program (STP), which supports the Air Force, Army, Navy, BMDO (now MDA), NASA, and various international space agencies. The nine ARGOS payloads, addressing more than 30 research objectives, conducted upper atmospheric observations and technology demonstrations. These included sensor technology for the International Space Station, as well as three high-priority ultraviolet imaging experiments and an X-ray sensor. The remaining experiments investigate ion propulsion, gas ionization physics, plume detection capabilities, and orbital debris. As part of DOD STP, ARGOS served the need to fly Department of Defense payloads that cannot be flown on the Space Shuttle or aboard small launch vehicles due to complexity, size, mission duration, or other constraints. The Naval Research Laboratory, U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command, Air Force Research Laboratory, and Office of Naval Research have provided payloads for the ARGOS mission.
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