Live coverage: SpaceX to launch communications satellites for Space Norway on its Falcon 9 rocket

An illustration of the two Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) program satellites on orbit. Illustration: Northrop Grumman

SpaceX is looking to complete its second launch of the weekend with a mission for Space Norway. The company is targeting a Sunday evening launch of its Falcon 9 rocket for the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM).

The satellites, called ASBM-1 and ASBM-2, are designed to provide both military satellite communications as well as commercial broadband connectivity in the northern polar region. Liftoff is set for Sunday, Aug. 11, at 7:02 p.m. PDT (10:02 p.m. EDT 0202 UTC).

Spaceflight Now will have live launch coverage beginning about 30 minutes prior to launch.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting the mission, B1061 in the SpaceX fleet, will be launching for a 22nd time, tying it with B1062 for the most flights of a first stage booster. B1061 previously launched the Crew-1 and Crew-2 astronaut missions; two Transporter rideshare launches; and 10 Starlink flights among others.

About eight-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, B1061 will land on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ If successful, this will mark the 100th booster landing on this droneship as well as the 337th booster landing to date.

Arctic communication

The pair of ASBM satellites were built on Northrop Grumman’s GEOStar-3 satellite bus and each weighs about two tons (about 4,000 pounds). They are about 3 x 3 x 4 meters (9.8 x 9.8 x 13.1 feet) and with their solar panels extended, they have a total wingspan of 27 meters (88.6 feet).

The satellites will launch to a highly elliptical orbit, allowing them to access the Arctic region, one which many other geostationary satellites are unable to reach. Space Norway, one of the main partners behind the satellites, said they will use a so-called “Three Apogee Period” with its highest orbital altitude being 43,500 km and the lowest being 8,100 km.

The satellites will operate in the same orbital plane eight hours apart at a 63-degree inclination. The ASBM program was created in 2019 to bring connectivity to the area north of the 65-degree North latitude.

The mission is a joint operation between the U.S. Space Force, Northrop Grumman and Space Norway, which is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. Onboard are multiple payloads for both the U.S. and Norwegian militaries along with a radiation monitor for the European Commission.

The commercial communications company, Viasat, also has its Global Xpress (GX) Ka-Band payload onboard as well, which will allow it “to provide seamless broadband to aerospace, maritime and ground users operating in the High North,” according to Northrop Grumman. Viasat said that the GX10A and GX10B payloads mark “the first time the Viasat network will incorporate payloads in this orbit providing dedicated Arctic coverage.”

ASBM-1 satellite enters thermal vacuum environmental testing at Northrop Grumman’s satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. Image: Northrop Grumman

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command delivered its two payloads for integration in 2022. Those are the Enhanced Polar Systems-Recapitalization (EPS-R) payloads. They were built by Northrop Grumman’s Strategic Space Systems Division and are described as “an Extremely High Frequency (EHF) Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) system designed to provide 24/7 secure, anti-jam, low probability of detection/intercept communications for U.S. forces operating in the Arctic region.”

Having hosted payloads onboard these Norwegian satellites allowed SSC to bring their capabilities online “three years ahead of schedule with potential savings of up to $900 million.” This will also be the first time that a Space Force payload is hosted on a non-U.S. satellite.

“This successful payload delivery highlights the diligent work done by the entire government and contractor team,” said Ernest Finney, EPS-R payload manager within SSC’s Military Communication & Positioning, Navigation and Timing directorate, in a 2022 statement. “We’re excited to begin integration and test with the host space vehicles and to provide this critical operational capability to the warfighter.”

The Northrop Grumman-built ASBM-1 and ASBM-2 satellites at the company’s satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. Image: Northrop Grumman

Another payload onboard is the Control and Planning Segment (CAPS), which is described as a “single software baseline, which consolidates segment command, control and planning of its legacy Enhanced Polar System (EPS) and future EPS-Recapitalization (EPS-R) payloads.” That was also provided by Northrop Grumman.

“The accomplishment of this key milestone was truly a joint effort and speaks to the outstanding teamwork between Northrop Grumman and our EPS-R program office. The team received and coordinated an enormous amount of technical data which was critical to verify that all segment and element requirements were met. We look forward to the new ground system entering operations,” said 1st Lt. Brooke Kunzelman, SSC EPS-R Ground Segment lead, in a 2023 statement.

The twin spacecraft will also carry an X-Band military broadband payload for the Norwegian Armed Forces.

The mission logo for the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission launch. Image: Northrop Grumman