Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program ( DMSP , originally known as Program-35 or P-35 ) is a weather satellite program of the US Armed Forces. It is the military equivalent of the civilian TIROS and NOAA programs. Like these, the DMSP satellites orbit the earth in a sun-synchronous orbit . The program was operated by the US Department of Defense and operationally by the Space and Missile Systems Center of the United States Air Force .
Since 1962, 50 satellites in eleven series ("blocks") have been launched. Two more satellites are still planned. A successor system has not yet been determined, as both the NPOESS system developed together with the civilian NOAA and the military Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS) have been deleted.
The satellites of the series 1 to 4 were spin stabilized, while the later series had a stabilization around all three axes. The Block-5D series satellites did not require an upper stage of the launcher because they had a solid rocket motor as an integrated drive.
On February 3, 2015, the battery of the DMSP-F13 satellite was defective. The battery burst at around 22:20 UTC, causing the satellite to wobble uncontrollably. The ground station in Suitland ( Maryland ) took the satellite completely dead. 147 fragments could be located from the earth, which are now moving as space debris in the earth orbit. It turned out that a design flaw could cause a short circuit in a wiring harness. The other satellites of the 5D2 series are also affected by this error and can pose a threat to other satellites even after they have been decommissioned.
| model series | number | Start period | Launchers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block-1 | 11 | 1962-1965 | Scout-X2M , Scout-X2B, Scout-X3M, Thor-DSV2A Agena-D , Thor-DSV2S Burner-1 |
| Block-2 | 3 | 1965-1966 | Thor-DSV2S Burner-1 |
| Block-3 | 1 | 1965 | Thor-DSV2S Burner-1 |
| Block-4A | 4th | 1966-1967 | Thor-DSV2U Burner-2 |
| Block-4B | 3 | 1968-1969 | Thor-DSV2U Burner-2 |
| Block-5A | 3 | 1970-1971 | Thor-DSV2U Burner-2 |
| Block-5B | 5 | 1971-1974 | Thor-DSV2U Burner-2A |
| Block-5C | 3 | 1974-1976 | Thor-DSV2U Burner-2A |
| Block-5D1 | 5 | 1976-1980 | Thor-DSV2U Star-37XE Star-37S-ISS |
| Block-5D2 | 9 | 1982-1997 | Atlas-E Star-37S-ISS , Titan-2 (23) G Star-37S-ISS |
| Block-5D3 | 5 (+ 1 planned) | from 1999 | Titan-2 (23) G Star-37XFP-ISS, Delta-4M , Atlas-V (401) |
Web links
- NRO: History of the Military Polar Orbiting Meteorological Satellite Program ( Memento from June 12, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 2.9 MB)
- National Geophysical Data Center: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (English)
- United States Air Force: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Brian Berger and Mike Gruss: 7 More USAF Weather Satellites at Risk of Explosion. Space News, July 22, 2015, accessed October 26, 2016 .