Northrop Grumman’s satellites for Space Norway’s Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission have arrived in California.
ASBM-1 and ASBM-2 were built at the Northop facilities in Dulles, Virginia, and will lift off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vanderberg Space Force Base.
Northrop Grumman and state-owned company Space Norway are yet to announce a specific launch date for the mission, but it may happen as early as mid-July.
Brandon White, vice president and general manager for tactical space systems at the U.S. aerospace and defense company, said the ASBM project paves the way for future hybrid government-commercial missions.
“Northrop Grumman’s work with ASBM showcases our decades of on-orbit experience and end-to-end space technology expertise, delivering coverage to one of the most hard-to-reach regions of the globe,” he added.
The satellites will operate in highly elliptical polar orbits and intersect above the North Pole to ensure the availability of secure satcom in high-latitude areas.
Based on the GEOStar-3 bus, the new spacecraft are equipped with multiple payloads, including those under Space Systems Command’s Enhanced Polar System-Recapitalization program, to deliver secure tactical satellite communications for the U.S. military.
Northrop Grumman says EPS-R will be the “first operational U.S. military payload hosted on a commercial space vehicle operated by an international partner.” The contractor will also provide EPS-R’s control and planning segment ground system.
ASBM-1 and ASBM-2 will also carry to orbit an X band payload for the Norwegian Armed Forces and GX-10a and GX-10b Ka band payloads for commercial satcom provider Viasat.