GFO 1

Also called Geosat Follow-on

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General

Designation	25157 / 98007A
Launch date	10 Feb 1998
Country of origin	United States
Operator	Ball Corporation
Mission	Military: remote sensing
Perigee/Apogee	800 km
Inclination	108°
Period	101 min
Launch vehicle	Taurus #2
Launch site	Vandenberg

Using an advanced radar altimeter (13.5 GHz), the GFO satellite is designed to provide precise information on changes in sea surface heights, eddies and warm/cold water fronts. The data will be used to support Navy tactical operations. The GFO contract was awarded to Ball Aerospace Systems Group in August 1992 by the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare systems command. The Navy contract calls for a "turnkey" satellite system, and contract options for two additional spacecraft. GFO will follow the successful Geosat satellite that completed service in January 1990.

Will downlink directly to vessels.

For the GFO mission, Taurus will use Thiokol's Castor 120 solid rocket motor as the vehicle's first stage, and incorporate a larger, Orbital-developed payload fairing, providing a 120% increase in payload volume. Modifications to the Taurus booster, particularly a new payload fairing twice the size of the one used on the first flight, will result in a much more capable rocket. This configuration was proposed for NASA's MedLite program, and another that results in an extra 500 pounds of secondary payload capability for the GFO mission.

The initial contract worth $115 million calls for 3 GFO satellites, the last one should be launched in 2007

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End of life

Out of service	2009
Cause
Decay

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External resources

http://gfo.bmpcoe.org/Gfo/

http://osb3.wff.nasa.gov/gfo/
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/met/gfo.htm
sat-index articles

Technical data

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Specifications

Prime contractor	Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
Platform	BCP-600
Mass at launch	365 kg
Mass in orbit
Dimension
Solar array
Stabilization
DC power	126 W
Design lifetime	8 years

96 MB on-board storage

Carriers at 400.033 & 150.0125 MHz

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