The US Air Force has awarded the United Launch Alliance (ULA) the “STP 3” contract to launch the STPSat 6 spacecraft on an Atlas V 551 rocket. The contract worth US$191.1 million was awarded after a competitive tendering competition with SpaceX. The launch is planned for June 2019 and will take place from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The US DoD STPSat 6 is designed to detect explosions in space using its Space and Atmospheric Burst Reporting System-3. The system is being carried for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Orbital bursts of nuclear and conventional weapons can be used to induce an electromagnetic impulse to “knock out” electronic systems both in space and on Earth. Also on the spacecraft is the NASA Laser Communications Relay Demonstration hosted payload.
