Orbital's Glory Earth Science Satellite to be Launched on Taurus XL Rocket

Satellite Spotlight: Orbital's Glory Earth Science Satellite to be Launched on Taurus XL Rocket

Orbital Sciences Corporation, a space technology company, revealed that the Glory satellite has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to be integrated with the company’s Taurus XL rocket that will launch the satellite into low-Earth orbit in late February.

According to official sources, the satellite was built by Orbital for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Glory satellite is the latest in an extensive series of Earth science satellites that were designed, developed, built by Orbital and tested for NASA.

J.R. Thompson, Orbital’s vice chairman and chief operating officer, said in a release, “Over the next month, Orbital’s spacecraft and launch vehicle teams will be working together to prepare the Glory satellite and Taurus XL rocket for a late February launch operation and satellite deployment.”

“Following its deployment and check-out, the Glory satellite will add to the capabilities of NASA’s highly-productive ‘A-Train’ series of Earth sensing spacecraft, which is an excellent example of how multiple distributed satellites can provide valuable scientific returns at very reasonable mission costs,” added Thompson.

According to Thompson, Orbital strives to cater to the needs of NASA contributing to its critical data collection endeavor, on aerosols in the atmosphere. Orbital will continue to provide spacecraft, launch vehicles and mission operations for solar irradiance measurements.

The Glory mission leverages the capabilities of the Orbital ACRIMSAT and SORCE satellite programs, both of which were launched aboard Orbital rockets. This is expected to enable Orbital to support future solar monitoring missions also, Thompson pointed out.

The Glory satellite, which was tested at the Dulles satellite production facility is based on Orbital’s LeoStar small satellite bus that has served as the baseline platform for several previous successful NASA science spacecraft programs, including missions like GALEX, SORCE and AIM.

The satellite weighs approximately 1,160 lbs. (525 kg.) and features deployable solar arrays, three-axis stabilization, and X-band and S-band communications capabilities, added company sources.

Taurus XL vehicle was developed by Orbital for launching satellites weighing up to approximately 3,000 pounds into low-Earth orbit. Taurus XL is based on advanced structural and avionics technology featured in the company’s Pegasus rocket and other operational launch systems. It is most suitable for enabling easy transportability and austere site operations besides facilitating customers rapid-response launches from a wide range of locations around the globe.