Space Test Program-3 – Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s LCRD Launches Aboard Space Test Program 3

Conceptual image of the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) payload transmitting optical signals. LCRD, NASA’s first end-to-end laser relay system, will operate for at least two years and provide data rates 10 to 100 times higher than traditional radio frequency systems.
Photo credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V 551 rocket successfully launched from Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Dec. 7, at 5:19 a.m. EST for the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission. Two satellites were on board, including the Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6) spacecraft, which carried two NASA payloads that have been successfully deployed:

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), will be NASA’s first end-to-end laser relay system, sending and receiving data over invisible infrared lasers at a rate of approximately 1.2 gigabits per second from geosynchronous orbit to Earth. With data rates 10 to 100 times higher than traditional radio frequency systems, laser communications systems will provide future missions with extraordinary data capabilities.

The mission will operate for at least two years. Engineers will beam data between LCRD and optical ground stations located in Table Mountain, California, and Haleakalā, Hawaii, once LCRD is positioned more than 22,000 miles above Earth. Experiments will refine the transmission process, study different operational scenarios, and perfect tracking systems. The information and data are essential to readying a laser communications system for an operational mission because engineers cannot replicate the same conditions with ground tests.

UVSC Pathfinder — short for Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph Pathfinder — begins its mission to peer at the lowest regions of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, where solar energetic particles, the Sun’s most dangerous form of radiation, are thought to originate. A joint NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory experiment, UVSC Pathfinder becomes the latest addition to NASA’s fleet of heliophysics observatories, which study a vast, interconnected system from the Sun to the space surrounding Earth and other planets, and to the farthest limits of the Sun’s constantly flowing stream of solar wind.

For a full recap of this morning’s launch, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-laser-communications-tech-science-experiment-safely-in-space-0/

To stay updated about LCRD and laser communications, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/lasercomms.

Stay connected with the LCRD mission on social media:
Twitter: @NASA, @NASAGoddard, @NASALaserComm, @NASA_Technology, @NASASCaN
Facebook: NASA, NASAGoddard, NASA Technology, NASA Space Communications and Navigation
Instagram: NASA, NASAGoddard

NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Deploys

Rendering of LCRD Spacecraft — The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration payload is attached to the LCRD Support Assembly Flight (LSAF), which can be seen in this image. The LSAF serves as the backbone for the LCRD components. Attached to the LSAF are the two optical modules, which generate the infrared lasers that transmit data to and from Earth. A star tracker is also attached here. These components are visible on the left side of this image. Other LCRD components, such as the modems that encode data into laser signals, are attached to the back of the LSAF.
Photo credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA’s payloads aboard STP-3, the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and UVSC Pathfinder, have successfully deployed. The Centaur second stage released the U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6) spacecraft, which hosts the payloads, into geosynchronous orbit. After coasting for another 40 minutes, Centaur will release the Space Force’s additional satellite, completing the longest Atlas mission in its more than 60-year history.

LCRD will use laser communications systems to transmit data from space to Earth and help NASA update how astronauts communicate to and from space. LCRD is led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Partners include NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. LCRD is funded through NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions program, part of the Space Technology Mission Directorate, and the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program at NASA Headquarters.

UVSC Pathfinder — short for Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph Pathfinder — will peer at the lowest regions of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona. The mission is a joint NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory experiment that studies the origins of solar energetic particles, the Sun’s most dangerous form of radiation.

To stay updated about LCRD and laser communications, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/lasercomms.

LCRD Is On Its Way!

Rocket launch. — In this twenty-second exposure, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches on the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6) spacecraft hosts NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and the NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph (UVSC) Pathfinder. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) mission has successfully launched, completed two Centaur engine burns, and is on its way! The Department of Defense’s (DOD) Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission sent two satellites including the Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6) spacecraft, which hosted two NASA payloads – LCRD and the NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph (UVSC) Pathfinder – to space. STPSat-6 is scheduled to separate from Centaur into geosynchronous orbit in about 6 hours.

First Main Engine Cutoff

Rocket contrails in the sky. — Contrails are seen illuminated in the sky as the Sun begins to rise following the launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6) spacecraft hosts NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and the NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph (UVSC) Pathfinder. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

The first main engine cutoff, or MECO-1, is confirmed for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage. It will coast in this preliminary Earth orbit for the next hour before the second burn begins.

The Atlas launched the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Space Test Program 3 (STP-3), which hosts NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and the NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph (UVSC) Pathfinder.

To stay updated about LCRD and laser communications, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/lasercomms.

Solid Rocket Booster Separation

Rocket in the night sky. — A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches on the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6) spacecraft hosts NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and the NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph (UVSC) Pathfinder. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 551 rocket has jettisoned its five solid rocket boosters and is approaching payload fairing jettison.

At this point in its ascent, the Atlas V is burning propellant at a rate of 2,000 pounds per second, traveling more than 7,500 miles per hour and located 64 miles in altitude and 150 miles down range.

Main engine cutoff will occur about a minute after booster jettison, followed shortly by Atlas Centaur separation.

Liftoff!

ULA Atlas V DoD STP-3 Launch — A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches on the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6) spacecraft hosts NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and the NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph (UVSC) Pathfinder. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

We have liftoff! At 5:19 a.m., United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V 551 rocket is on its way to orbit, carrying satellites and technology experiments on the Department of Defense and U.S. Space Force’s Space Test Program 3 mission.

Five Minutes to Launch – Everything Looking Good to Go

Rocket awaiting liftoff. — A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission is seen illuminated by spotlights at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6) spacecraft hosts NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and the NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph (UVSC) Pathfinder. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Launch preparations are underway, and we are still on track for liftoff at 5:19 a.m. for the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission, managed by the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC), from Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 551 rocket will carry satellites and technology experiments, including NASA payload Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and the NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph (UVSC) Pathfinder.

Currently, no issues are being tracked, and there is a 90% chance of favorable weather for liftoff.

https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

Updated Launch Time

Launch preparations are underway, but because of high velocity upper level winds the new launch time is 5:19 a.m. EST for the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission, managed by the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC), from Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Watch the launch webcast live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Keep following the blog for updates on liftoff and the agency’s deployment of LCRD.

Stay connected with the LCRD mission on social media:

Twitter: @NASA, @NASAGoddard, @NASALaserComm, @NASA_Technology, @NASASCaN
Facebook: NASA, NASAGoddard, NASA Technology, NASA Space Communications and Navigation
Instagram: NASA, NASAGoddard

New Launch Time

Launch preparations are underway, and because of high velocity upper level winds the new launch time is 5:03 a.m. EST for the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission, managed by the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC), from Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

A Look at What’s on Board

LCRD in space. — LCRD will help NASA update how astronauts communicate to and from space, conducting optical communications relays with a future terminal on the International Space Station. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

Today’s Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission contains technology experiments from government, military, and research institutions including two NASA payloads that will help advance the future of space exploration. NASA’s primary payload, hosted on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6) spacecraft, is the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD).

Like technology demonstrations that have come before it, LCRD is a giant step toward making operational laser, or optical, communications a reality. About the size of a king-size mattress, LCRD will send and receive data over infrared lasers at 1.2 gigabits per second from geosynchronous orbit to Earth.

Just how much data can we transmit at once with laser communications? Sending a high-resolution map of Mars to Earth would take around nine weeks with current radio systems onboard spacecraft, but as little as nine days with laser communications. That “speed” (or, more accurately, data rate) is appealing for future human exploration and science missions. The systems also offer a smaller package – laser communications systems can take up less space, weight, and power on a spacecraft.

LCRD will help make all of that a reality. The mission will operate for at least two years. It will start off “talking” with ground stations in California and Hawaii to test the invisible, near-infrared lasers. Engineers will beam data to and from the satellite (located more than 22,000 miles above Earth) to refine the transmission process, study different operational scenarios, and perfect tracking systems. The information and data are essential for readying a laser communications system for an operational mission, as we can’t replicate the same conditions with tests on the ground. LCRD will also study the effects of clouds (a factor that doesn’t impact current space-to-ground communications) and other potential disruptions to identify viable solutions.

LCRD will also help NASA update how astronauts communicate to and from space. Later in the mission, LCRD will conduct optical communications relays with a future terminal on the International Space Station. As NASA goes back to the Moon, laser communications can empower sustainable communications architectures and help set us up for a human presence at Mars.

Take an inside look into the development of LCRD with a laser communications show from NASA EDGE.

NASA’s The Invisible Network podcast will debut a special LCRD series today, with additional episodes released over the following four Wednesdays. The podcast will highlight the future of the laser communications technologies demonstrated by this mission and the people behind it.

Also hitching a ride on STPSat-6 is a joint NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory experiment dedicated to studying the origins of solar energetic particles (SEPs) — the Sun’s most dangerous form of radiation.

UVSC Pathfinder — short for Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph Pathfinder — will peer at the lowest regions of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, where SEPs are thought to originate. UVSC Pathfinder is the latest addition to NASA’s fleet of heliophysics observatories. NASA heliophysics missions study a vast, interconnected system from the Sun to the space surrounding Earth and other planets, and to the farthest limits of the Sun’s constantly flowing stream of solar wind. UVSC Pathfinder provides key information on SEPs, enabling future space exploration.

To stay updated about LCRD and laser communications, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/lasercomms.