United Launch Alliance (ULA) said Friday additional investigations show there is “no systemic issue” with the Delta IV launch vehicle’s RL-10B2 engine following an October 2012 Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF-3 launch mishap that resulted in lower thrust than expected.
ULA Vice President for Atlas and Delta Programs Jim Sponnick said during a preview for the company’s upcoming GPS IIF-5 launch that ULA and Air Force teams are in phase two of their investigation related to the Delta IV second stage engine mishap. The RL-10B2, manufactured by Aerojet Rocketdyne
, produced low thrust than the Air Force envisioned in 2012. Sponnick also said investigation results reconfirmed that system improvements implemented following phase one of the investigation were appropriate and both ULA and the Air Force approved proceeding with the GPS IIF-5 launch, which will take place from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Feb. 20 with a launch window of 8:40 to 8:59 p.m. EST.
Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) Director of Launch and Range Systems Directorate Col. William Hodgkiss said Friday there are two ongoing investigations into the October 2012 launch mishap: a joint ULA/Aerojet Rocketdyne/Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (AFSMC) investigation and an Accident Investigation Board (AIB) chartered by Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) chief Gen. William Shelton. Hodgkiss said his team from launch systems directorate is working integrally with ULA on phase two of its investigation and will review final findings with the company before presenting AFSPC leadership with an integrated risk assessment from a program office perspective. Hodgkiss said AFSPC has about 45 days of final analyses and follow-up tests remaining.
Hodgkiss said the AIB team is also following the industry/AFSMC phase two activities and will review findings before an independent assessment to Shelton. Both investigations are expected to wrap up in April, Hodgkiss said.
Boeing GPS IIF Program Manager Munzir Badawi deferred comment to the Air Force Friday when asked by a reporter if the company had been approached by the service to provide a navigation payload for the Air Force’s struggling next-generation GPS III platform. GPS III has been delayed because prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] and navigation payload provider Exelis [XLS] can’t seem to eliminate crosstalk, or interference, in their navigation payload.
Boeing produced the mission data unit, or brains, of the GPS IIF navigation payload and has also developed full navigation payloads. Shelton said Feb. 7 the Air Force has pursued alternative industry sources to provide the navigation payload in case Lockheed Martin and Exelis can’t figure things out (Defense Daily, Feb. 7). Boeing is prime contractor for GPS IIF.
Founded in 2006, ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Aerojet Rocketdyne is a division of GenCorp [GY].