EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) — In a historic first, college students from the Area Check Course on the U.S. Air Drive Check Pilot College efficiently operated a satellite tv for pc in area from Edwards Air Drive Base, Might 20.
Earlier courses have coordinated with business area suppliers to accumulate satellite tv for pc imagery to assist multi-domain testing, dictating desired imagery and move schedules, albeit with out direct interplay with the satellite tv for pc. Might 20 marks the inaugural occasion the place U.S. Area Drive STC Class 24A college students issued instructions to a satellite tv for pc on orbit from Edwards because of a partnership with the Air Drive Analysis Laboratory’s Area Car Directorate.
“We’re working in partnership with the AFRL’s small satellite tv for pc division to check distant satellite tv for pc operations capabilities from Edwards,” defined Maj. Stefanie Coward, Area Check Operations chief at USAFTPS. “A few of their new tech demonstrator satellites function on cloud-based floor programs. This opens the door to distant operations with out a big infrastructure footprint. Might 20 marked first contact with a satellite tv for pc from XVI, however the full functionality of distant operations was confirmed as 4 pairs of scholars, beneath the oversight of an AFRL flight director and XVI Operations engineer/subject material skilled, managed operations of XVI from Edwards for all the week finishing a complete of 15 satellite tv for pc contacts.”
The XVI satellite tv for pc is approaching the tip of its experiment marketing campaign. However, primarily based on the altitude of the orbit and the heritage of the satellite tv for pc bus, there’s a good likelihood XVI may proceed residual operations for an additional three to 5 years. Each organizations are concerned about utilizing XVI’s residual functionality to assist USAFTPS as a spaceborne laboratory, offering Area Check Course college students the identical sorts of hands-on expertise Flight Check Course college students get flying within the C-12, T-38, and F-16.
With a forward-looking perspective, Coward defined with optimism that this milestone marks the preliminary step in an ongoing journey.
“This can be a first, however not a final. We’re working with AFRL to formalize this partnership and proceed working XVI with future courses,” she stated. “The plan is to reflect the flight paradigm the place TPS workers members formally qualify on a platform, and college students undergo a check-out course of that permits them to carry out operations beneath the supervision of an authorized workers member. Do I see STC college students in the future going ‘crew solo’ on a satellite tv for pc? I hope so. However there’s quite a lot of work nonetheless left to do to get there.”
