The U.S. Air Force launched three satellites into space July 23 as a kind of "neighborhood space watch."
The Space Command chief Gen. William Shelton said that, "This neighborhood watch two-some will help protect our precious assets in geo (high-altitude orbit), plus they will be on the lookout for nefarious capability other nations might try to place in that critical orbital regime."
Two of the spacecraft that are going to be launched into space are satellites for the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP), which will give the U.S. Strategic Command "space situational awareness" data to give them more accurate and precise tracking and identification of orbiting objects, according to the UPI press release.
Geosynchronous means that the satellites will have orbits equal to the time of the Earth's orbit. The satellites will be tracking and measuring the flight of other man-made satellites so that the Air Force can gather data to figure out how to further increase safety of space flights.
The third satellite will be an "experimental satellite in near-geosynchronous orbit." That satellite will be part of a program called Automated Navigation and Guidance Experiment for Local Space (ANGELS).
The Air Force said, "ANGELS will test new space situational awareness techniques and technologies while performing safe, automated spacecraft operations to support and enhance future U.S. missions."
The ANGELS satellite is going to perform research near the upper stage of its DELTA IV launch vehicle.
Deborah Lee James, the Secretary of the Air Force, said, "...These operational and experimental systems will enhance the nation's ability to monitor and assess events regarding our military and commercial systems. In essence, they will create a space neighborhood watch capability."
James said "this launch is a remarkable accomplishment in the Air Force development of technologies to ensure the safe and responsible use of space."
AFRL commander Maj. Gen. Thomas Masiello said, "these experiments will enable future satellite systems to achieve a more rapid and improved space situational awareness capability with fewer operators while maintaining safety as the top priority."
Although these three satellites are going to be launched into space on the same day, and out of the same launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the GSSAP program and the ANGELS program are not related to each other and the three satellites have different missions that are not related. However, both programs are helping to build the US Air Force's understanding of space awareness techniques.
