DMSP weather satellite atop Titan 2 rocket in launch pad clean room. Photo: Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space

A Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Block 5D-3 spacecraft, built under contract for the U.S. Air Force by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space, is being prepared for launch Dec. 11 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., aboard a Titan 2 launch vehicle.

"We're very pleased to have our first Block 5D-3 spacecraft out at the launch pad," said Al Lauer, Lockheed Martin director of Weather Satellite Programs. "Our partnership with the Air Force goes back to the very beginning of the DMSP program with a common goal of ensuring that commanders have access to environmental data critical to the preparation and execution of military operations. Providing our partners a next generation spacecraft with additional capability is always satisfying. "

The Block 5D-3 series can accommodate larger sensor payloads than earlier generations. They also feature a larger power supply; a more powerful on-board computer with increased memory -- allowing greater spacecraft autonomy -- and increased battery power that will extend the mean mission duration.

Within two hours of launch, the DMSP Early-Orbit Team at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Operations Control Center (SOCC) in Suitland, Md., will begin checkout of the spacecraft. The procedures are scheduled to take about ten days. An instrument checkout will follow, taking an additional two weeks. When the spacecraft is declared operational, the satellite will be turned over to the National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Integrated Program Office (IPO). The IPO Assistant Director of Operations (ADO) will then officially delegate operational responsibility to the NOAA Office of Satellite Operations.

DMSP, operated by NOAA, is used for strategic and tactical weather prediction to aid the U.S. military in planning operations at sea, on land and in the air. Equipped with a sophisticated sensor suite that can image visible and infrared cloud cover, the satellite collects specialized meteorological, oceanographic, and solar-geophysical information in all weather conditions. The DMSP constellation comprises two spacecraft in near-polar orbits, and C3 and user segments. The most recent launch of a DMSP spacecraft took place on April 4, 1997 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. That launch marked the last of the Block 5D-2 satellites.

Currently, a backlog of six satellites is maintained at Missiles & Space for storage, functional testing, and upgrading. The spacecraft are shipped to Vandenberg when requested by the Air Force. Since 1966, more than 30 Lockheed Martin DMSP satellites have been launched by the U.S. Air Force. Now in its fourth decade of service, the DMSP has proven itself to be a valuable tool in scheduling and protecting military operations on land, at sea and in the air.

The Space and Missiles Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., manages the DMSP and Titan programs.

Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space, Sunnyvale, Calif., is an operating company within Lockheed Martin Space Systems, headquartered in Bethesda, Md. It is a leading supplier of satellites to military, civil government and commercial communications organizations around the world. These spacecraft have enhanced military and civilian communications; provided new, extensive and timely weather data; studied the Earth and space; and furnished new data for thousands of scientists studying our planet and the space around it.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md, Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology services. Employing more than 160,000 people worldwide, Lockheed Martin had 1998 sales surpassing $26 billion.