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This article is about the satellite communications system that operated in the 1980s. For the Georgian franchise of the Idol series, seeGeostar.

TheGEOStaris a family ofsatellite busesdesigned and manufactured byNorthrop Grumman Innovation Systems.The family initially focused on smallgeostationarycommunicationssatellites. The first iterations addressed the sub-5 kW commercial segment that was underserved following the retirement of theHS-376satellite bus. It started with theSTARBusonCTA Space Systems,which was later bought successively byOrbital Sciences,Orbital ATK,and most recentlyNorthrop Grumman Innovation Systems.[1][2]

History

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Originally developed byCTA Space Systems,won its first order withIndoStar-1.[3]Orbital Sciences Corporationacquired CTA in 1997 and continued selling the platform under theSTAR-1designation.[4]It was able to sell three STAR-1 satellites toB-SATof Japan,BSAT-2a,BSAT-2bandBSAT-2c.Orbital then introduced a new version of the platform known asSTAR-2.Its first launch was with the sale of the satellite bus only, withN-STAR c.[1]

With the introduction of the LEOStar satellite bus, STAR-2 was renamed asGEOStar-2,a platform that eventually was capable of up to 5.5 kW of power production.[5][6]Orbital would later introduce theGEOStar-1platform, capable of only 1.5 kW of power production. It is not to be confused with the original STAR-1, since GEOStar-1 is actually the project Aquila, a platform even smaller than the GEOStar-2 designed for military applications ingeostationary orbitandmedium Earth orbit.[7]

On March 10, 2014, Orbital introduced theGEOStar-3platform. Not only was this a bigger platform that could generate up to 8 kW of power, but it also offered a satellite stacking feature for a dual launch option.[8][9]On April 29, 2014, Orbital Sciences announced that it wouldmergewithAlliant Techsystemsto create a new company calledOrbital ATK, Inc.On February 9, 2015, Orbital ATK started operating as an entity.[10]

During 2015, Orbital ATK would introduce a variation of the bus dedicated to servicing spacecraft in geostationary orbit, theGemini bus.[11]They would announce their first win for Gemini platform on April 12, 2016, with the agreement to sell the services ofMission Extension Vehicle-1toIntelsatin 2019.[12]

Platforms

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Through the years there have been different variations of the platform:

  • Gemini:platform designed for rendezvous capabilities. It can carry payloads with a mass of up to 1,700 kg (3,700 lb) and requiring up to 3 kW of power. Its expected design life is 6 to 15 years and has a 21 to 36 month to delivery lead time.[11]
  • GEOStar-1:micro platform for government satellite. It can carry payloads with a mass of up to 100 kg (220 lb) and requiring up to 1.5 kW of power. Its expected design life is 5 to 7 years and has a 27 to 30 month to delivery lead time.[7]
  • GEOStar-2(originallySTAR-2): small platform for commercial clients. It can carry payloads with a mass of up to 500 kg (1,100 lb) and requiring up to 5.5 kW of power. Its expected design life is 15 to 18 years and has a 24 to 27 month to delivery lead time.[6]
  • GEOStar-3:medium platform for commercial clients. It can carry payloads with a mass of up to 800 kg (1,800 lb) and requiring up to 8 kW of power. Its expected design life is 15 to 18 years and has a 27 to 30 month to delivery lead time.[9]
  • STAR-1(originallySTARBus): small commercial satellite platform. Originally developed by CTA, bought by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Could handle payloads with a mass of up to 200 kg (440 lb) and requiring up to 555 W of power. It used a solidStar 30CBPapogee kick motorfor orbital circularization and had a 10-year design life.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abRichmond, Christopher W. (2008)."The Growth of Orbital Sciences and the Market for Small GEO Satellites"(PDF).Space Japan Review (English Version)(55). AIAA JFSC. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  2. ^Rothblatt, Martin (1991)."Low Earth Orbit Satellite Communications System".Proceedings of the 34th IAF/IISL Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space.International Institute of Space Law: 319–320.
  3. ^"Orbital's Indostar Direct Broadcast Satellite Shipped To South American Launch Site".prnewswire.Orbital Sciences Corporation.August 21, 1997. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  4. ^"Orbital Completes Purchase of CTA Space Systems; Combined Manufacturing Experience On Over 85 Satellites Strengthens Market Position; New Corporate and Space Systems Group Management Appointments Announced".prnewswire.Orbital Sciences Corporation.August 18, 1997. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  5. ^"Spacecraft Buses".Orbital ATK.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  6. ^ab"GEOStar-2 Fact Sheet"(PDF).Orbital ATK.2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  7. ^ab"GEOStar-1 Fact Sheet"(PDF).Orbital ATK.2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  8. ^"Orbital Introduces the GEOStar-3 Commercial Communications Satellite Platform".Orbital ATK.March 10, 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  9. ^ab"GEOStar-3 Fact Sheet"(PDF).Orbital ATK.2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  10. ^"Orbital ATK Marks First Day of Operations Following Completion of Merger".Orbital ATK.February 10, 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  11. ^ab"Gemini Bus Fact Sheet"(PDF).Orbital ATK.2016. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  12. ^"Pioneers In Space: Orbital ATK Announces Intelsat as Anchor Customer for New Satellite Life Extension Service".Orbital ATK.April 12, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-09-06.Retrieved2016-09-06.
  13. ^Krebs, Gunter Dirk (2015-08-28)."OSC: StarBus → Star-1".Retrieved2016-09-06.
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