Successful Launch of Last Boeing IUS Deploys USAF
Satellite
On the final mission
for the program, a Boeing Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) payload
booster vehicle successfully deployed a U.S. Air Force Defense
Support Program (DSP) satellite on Valenintes Day. The IUS-10 and
its integrated payload, DSP-22, were launched aboard a Titan IV B
rocket, which also flew with a Boeing-made fairing. Liftoff was at
1:50 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station (FL).
The Defense Support Program is a satellite surveillance system
providing the United States and its allies with ballistic missile
early warning and other information related to missile launches,
surveillance and the detonation of nuclear weapons.
"This last IUS mission added a critical asset to our
nation’s military space program with the successful launch of
DSP-22," said Bill Benshoof, Boeing IUS program manager. "The
flight of IUS-10 concludes a 22-year journey for one of the most
successful upper stages ever built and flown."
The Boeing IUS program has supported national security,
telecommunications and science missions with successful spacecraft
deployments for the U.S. Department of Defense, the original
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite constellation, and the Magellan,
Galileo, Ulysses and Chandra missions for NASA.
Adding to the
celebration of Saturday's successful last flight of the IUS, the
Boeing IUS team received honors this week by the Air Force
Association at the AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando,
Fla., for its significant contributions to the advancement of Air
Force space activities in the last 50 years. The Boeing IUS has
been launched from the space shuttle and Titan IV rockets. There
have been 24 IUS missions flown to date — 15 launched from
the shuttle and nine launched from the Titan IV.
A typical IUS mission launched from a Titan IV involves IUS
separation from the rocket’s second stage booster
approximately nine minutes into flight. The IUS takes over
responsibility for the remainder of the powered portion of the
flight. For the next six hours and 45 minutes, the IUS autonomously
performs all functions to place the spacecraft into its proper
orbit.
IUS vehicle production was completed at Boeing in Kent (WA)
Spacecraft integration, checkout, ground operations and launch
preparation activities were conducted at Cape Canaveral. Boeing
also produces the payload fairing for the Titan IV program. A
56-foot long fairing was used for the DSP-22 mission. Boeing-built
fairings have flown on all 37 Titan IV launches to date and will
fly aboard the remaining two Titan IV launches.
"This successful launch continues the 100 percent mission
success record for the Titan IV payload fairing," said Richard
Peters, program manager and chief engineer, Boeing Titan fairing
program.
The fairing for the DSP-22 mission was produced at Boeing in
Huntington Beach, Calif., with the fairing’s thermal
protection system applied at Boeing in Pueblo, (CO). The Boeing IUS
and Titan fairing programs are managed by Boeing Expendable Launch
Systems in Huntington Beach.