
A pair of Northrop Grumman's PTS prototype payloads await space vehicle integration. (Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman is poised to begin platform integration of a prototype variant of its Protected Tactical Satellite Communications (Satcom) capability, as part of an ongoing development effort with the US Space Force (USSF).
Programme officials announced plans to begin integration work on the Protected Tactical Satcom Rapid Prototype (PTS-P) payload on 6 January. The announcement came after the prototype system completed initial testing and assembly at the company's satellite manufacturing facility in Gilbert, Arizona, according to company officials.
Developed in co-operation with USSF's Space Systems Command, the PTS-P will provide “a modular, flexible, and scalable [satcom] system” that once mature, will support a “next-generation anti-jam, protected tactical satellite communications architecture”, company officials said in a statement.
The PTS-P will be installed onto Northrop Grumman's ESPAStar satellite technology development bus, along with a “next-generation digital processing subsystem”, according to the statement. Programme officials did not provide additional details on what specific digital processing subsystem the PTS-P would be integrated with during orbital tests.
Based off of an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA), the ESPAStar is capable of carrying six hosted payloads or 12 flyaway payloads during a single launch. The EELV payload adapter capability allows the system to be carried into orbit via the Falcon 9 or the Falcon Heavy rocket, according to a company fact sheet.
The PTS-P will be carried into orbit via the HP variant of the ESPAStar bus.
The HP version is optimised to support satellite missions at geosynchronous orbit (GEO) but can also be used for space-based operations at medium Earth orbit (MEO) and low Earth orbit (LEO), the fact sheet stated.
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