TRW awarded option on STEP contract to build fifth STEP satellite for Air Force.REDONDO BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 1995--TRW Inc. has been awarded a $22.3 million increase to the Space Test Experiment Platform program to build a fifth lightweight, experiment-bearing satellite. The option was awarded by the United States Air Force United States Air Force (USAF) Major component of the U.S. military organization, with primary responsibility for air warfare, air defense, and military space research. It also provides air services in coordination with the other military branches. U.S. Space and Missile Systems Center Based out of Los Angeles Air Force Base in California, the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) is a part of Air Force Space Command of the United States Air Force. Its mission is to conduct research and development of U.S. military outer space and missile systems. . The STEP Mission 4 satellite is expected to be launched in mid-1997. The satellite payload will consist of three scientific experiments, two sponsored by the Air Force's Phillips Laboratory and one sponsored by the Naval Research Laboratory Noun 1. Naval Research Laboratory - the United States Navy's defense laboratory that conducts basic and applied research for the Navy in a variety of scientific and technical disciplines NRL . ``TRW TRW The Real World (TV reality show) TRW The Right Way TRW Tactical Reconnaissance Wing TRW The Retriever Weekly (University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD) TRW Thompson Ramo Wooldridge Inc has established a track record as a producer of lightweight, low-cost satellites that provide rapid access to space,'' said Dave Shuckstes, TRW Space & Electronics Group STEP program manager. ``This capability enables us to provide military, commercial, domestic and international customers with the most reliable, most cost-effective satellites for a wide range of mission requirements and budgets.'' TRW's STEP spacecraft is modular and can be customized with interchangeable power, propulsion and attitude control systems to accommodate flight requirements and payloads. The STEP Mission 4 spacecraft will weigh 890 pounds and operate in a low Earth orbit (communications) low earth orbit - (LEO) The kind of orbit used by communications satellites that will offer high bandwidth for video on demand, television, and Internet communications. . It is designed to operate for two years. The satellite will be assembled, integrated and tested at TRW's Lightsat Development and Test facility in Chantilly, Va. CTA An abbreviation for cum testamento annexo, Latin for "with the will annexed." Space Systems is TRW's major subcontractor on the program. STEP Mission 4 is sponsored by the Air Force Space Test Program (STP STP or standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions for measurement of the properties of matter. The standard temperature is the freezing point of pure water, 0°C; or 273.15°K;. ), which has hosted advanced research and development experiments since 1965. The program is managed by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. In 1989, the Air Force sought a standardized lightweight spacecraft that could be economically manufactured in small quantities yet be flexible enough to support widely differing payloads. A year later TRW was awarded a contract to design, develop and build the new breed of Air Force small satellites. The company has built and launched three lightweight satellites for the Air Force under the contract. In the coming months, STEP Mission 3 will become the fourth and most recent STEP satellite to be launched. Data from five experiments on-board the satellite will be processed at the Air Force Satellite Control Network The 'Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN)' provides support for the operation, control and maintenance of a variety of DoD and some non DoD satellites. This involves continual execution of the tasks involved in Tracking, Telemetry and Command (TT&C). at Onizuka Air Station in Sunnyvale, Calif. Specially tailored TRW Lightsats are also being used by domestic and international customers for scientific and communications payloads. For NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. , TRW built the first spacecraft dedicated to mapping the ozone layer, the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer-Earth Probe. The company is also building the Small Spacecraft Technology Initiative's Lewis spacecraft, which will demonstrate technologies for reducing the time and cost of getting commercial space missions into orbit. TRW is building specially tailored lightsats for the Republic of China and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) is the aeronautics and space agency of South Korea. Its main laboratories are located in Daejeon, in the Daedeok Science Town. Current projects include the KSLV launcher. Past projects include the 1999 Arirang satellite. . TRW Space & Electronics Group, an operating unit of TRW Inc., produces advanced technology spacecraft and electronic systems for U.S. government, commercial and international customers. With headquarters in Redondo Beach, it has built more than 185 communications, scientific and defense spacecraft; developed more than 200 advanced space instruments; and integrated some 550 experiments into spacecraft. TRW Inc. provides advanced technology products and services for the automotive, space and defense, and information markets worldwide. TRW's 1994 sales totaled $9.1 billion. CONTACT: TRW Space & Electronics Group, Redondo Beach Sally Koris, 310/812-4721 |
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