[Satellite TODAY 08-06-10] SES World Skies’ U.S. Government Solutions Division has delivered the Commercially Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP) sensor assembly to manufacturer Orbital Sciences for installation on the SES-2 satellite, SES announced Aug. 5.
    The sensor, developed by Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), was developed for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center to support testing for wide field-of-view, staring infrared sensor capabilities for a range of overhead persistent infrared missions.
    The SAIC CHIRP sensor features a telescope that can view a quarter of the earth from geosynchronous orbit and is equipped with a 4-megapixel focal plane array, manufactured by Teledyne, which is sensitive in both short-wave and medium-wave infrared.
    “We will now test the CHIRP sensor with a set of electronics known as the Secondary Payload Interface (SPI),” Orbital Program Manager Brent Armand said in a statement. “The SPI is a key enabler for hosting military payloads because it provides a secure, two-way communication channel to the government payload through a standard commercial telecommunication transponder. After checking the electrical interfaces, Orbital and SAIC technicians will mount the sensor to the earth-facing panel of the satellite for full-up spacecraft mechanical and thermal testing.”
SES expects to launch SES-2 in the second half of 2011.