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Posted Thursday, July 16, 2009
By Michael Kleiman, 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Since its initiation here in May 2007 the Operationally Responsive Space office has advocated for the rapid deployment of space capabilities to meet the needs of the warfighter, but even for an organization focused on quickness, building a functional satellite in two hours seems mach speed.
During an ORS-sponsored demonstration at Kirtland Air Force Base on June 23, a spacecraft comprised of plug-and-play components was constructed in 1 hour and 29 minutes. Capt. Lisa Baghal, a master’s student in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Air Force Institute of Technology, is principle investigator for the rapid construction of an operational satellite. She is conducting this research as part of her thesis work.
“To assemble a working satellite in such a short time span could be considered impossible, but ORS is all about the possible in providing immediate, ready-to-field assets when a tasking comes from the in-theatre commander,” said Dr. Peter Wegner, ORS director. “Through our partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate, which advanced plug-and-play avionics, we are making giant leaps in achieving that possibility.”