STPSat-2 Electronic Media Kit
Ball Aerospace’s STPSat-2 satellite was one of seven to fly aboard the STP-S26 mission, executed by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program at the Space Development and Test Wing, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The mission was designated STP-S26 to correspond to the 26th small launch vehicle mission in STP’s 40-year history of flying DoD space experiments.
The Ball Aerospace STPSat-2 carries three experimental payloads that were chosen by the DoD Space Experiment Review Board. The series of STP-SIV spacecraft buses are launch vehicle agnostic and provide a standard payload interface that supports up to four independent payloads to accommodate a variety of experiments at different low-earth orbits.
The first STP-SIV spacecraft launched on November 19, 2010 from Alaska’s Kodiak Launch Complex to begin serving the Air Force with critical mission capabilities.
The satellite’s identical follow-on, STPSat-3, is well into production at Ball Aerospace with the integration of payloads expected during the first quarter of 2011.
Mission Quick Facts:
- The STPSat-2 spacecraft weighs about 180 kg with the capability of supporting a combined payload weight of 70 kg
- Each STP-SIV spacecraft can support up to four independent payloads
- Each STP-SIV spacecraft bus is designed for all LEOS (Low Earth Orbits) and is capable of flying from 400-850 km without design changes
- Three experimental payloads were electrically integrated onto STPSat-2 in four days
STPSat-2 Program Manager Profile
Dave Kaufman, program manager for STPSat-2 and its identical follow-on, STPSat-3, joined Ball Aerospace in October 2000. He has both a Ph.D. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He also has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Stanford, and a bachelor’s in mathematics from Willamette University, Salem, OR.
Recent Press Releases:
8/2/2010 – Ball Aerospace Ships STPSat-2 to Kodiak
10/13/2009 - Ball Aerospace Completes STPSat-2 Satellite Pre Shipment
7/13/2009 - Ball Aerospace Awarded Second Contract for STP-SIV Program