A small-but-smart satellite experiment, the Cibola Flight Experiment (CFE) developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), launched at 10:10 p.m. EST last night aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas-5 rocket and was successfully placed in orbit 350 miles above Earth. The satellite will test leading-edge technologies that will be incorporated into future generations of satellites that will monitor the globe for nuclear detonations.
Cibola is one of six experimental satellites aboard the U.S. Department of Defense Space Test Program-1 mission and was the fifth satellite to separate from the main unit, 62 minutes after launch, over Australia.
Said project leader Diane Roussel-Dupre, "It looks like the CFE mission is off to a great success. This type of success can only be realized by the dedication of a quality team. I am honored to have been a part of this team. . . We all already can be proud to have been contributors."
CFESat is flying eight new technologies for space-flight validation, including a supercomputer equipped with field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), a new power supply, inflatable antennas, deployable booms, new type of launch vehicle separation system and a high-density Lithium-Ion battery pack. Cibola will validate the space use of the Xilinx commercial, off-the-shelf FPGAs originally intended for use on the ground.
As with the previous Los Alamos ALEXIS and FORTE satellite missions, Cibola will utilize a specialized ground tracking station located at Los Alamos, and all satellite operations and data analysis will be conducted from the site. CFESat is a technology pathfinder mission for the NNSA's Office of Research and Development (NA-22).
The satellite will operate with an orbital inclination that will allow observation of land areas as far north as the central United States and as far south as the tip of Africa. Once in orbit the spacecraft will deploy four solar panels, providing 110 watts of orbit-averaged power, then deploy two long booms and three payload antennas: one on the Earth-facing deck and one each on the two previously deployed booms.
The Cibola payload system also will have a science mission to study lightning, ionospheric disturbances, and other sources of radio frequency (RF) atmospheric noise. In addition, Cibola will explore the behavior of the ionosphere and its effect on communications. The Cibola Flight Experiment will help develop scientists' understanding of ionospheric weather, along with developing a predictive capability in determining the effects on communications and other space operations.
Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd. of England built the small host satellite body, CFESat, in 27 months using heritage satellite designs from the Surrey's disaster monitoring constellation and TopSat mission. In order to fit into the allowable launch volume, the satellite body measures a mere 24 by 24 by 38 inches and weighs 350 pounds.
Click here for scenes of the Atlas-V rocket's launch carrying CFESat and 5 other satellites, followed by excitement in the control room at Los Alamos National Laboratory as first contact with the Cibola Flight Experiment is made.
Click here for a rough image of the CFESat whizzing by in space, captured by the cameras of the USAF Academy's Falconsat-3, which rode into space March 8 aboard the same launch vehicle as CFESat. Image courtesy of United States Air Force Academy.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and the Washington Division of URS for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.