Sierra Nevada Corporation Launches UIE as Part of ORS TacSat-4 Mission

SPARKS, Nev., Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Space Systems is pleased to announce its role in the Tactical Satellites (TacSat)-4 mission. The Universal Interface Electronics (UIE) unit was developed by SNC and launched as part of the TacSat-4 mission on September 27th. The UIE unit is a prototype of SNC's distributed, modular avionics architecture developed as part of the DoD plug and play responsive satellite initiative. The primary purpose of the UIE device is to enable rapid interfacing of various devices with differing interface protocols via firmware reprogramming with the intent of eliminating expensive and time consuming hardware modifications and requalification.

TacSat-4, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, is the latest in a series of satellites intended to demonstrate an ability to rapidly deploy small, low-cost spacecraft that can meet the needs of military commanders at the theater level. It is part of a larger DoD initiative known as Operationally Responsive Space (ORS).

SNC's Space Systems group provided the satellite for the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) TacSat-2 ISR satellite which launched in December 2006 and the SPA Avionics Experiment  (SAE) payload on TACSat-3 that launched in May 2009. With regards to the significance of the TacSat-4 experiment, Jeff Summers, SNC's Space Systems VP of Technology stated, "The development and subsequent flight of the UIE on the TacSat-4 mission is important to SNC as it represents validation of the on-board processor base lined in all eighteen of SNC's commercial ORBCOMM Generation 2 satellites."

About Sierra Nevada Corporation

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is one of America's fastest growing private companies. Under the leadership of CEO Fatih Ozmen and President/CFO Eren Ozmen, SNC employs over 2100 people in 30 locations in 15 states. SNC's seven unique business areas are dedicated to providing leading-edge technology solutions to SNC's customers. For more information visit www.sncorp.com.

About Sierra Nevada Corporation's Space Systems

Sierra Nevada Corporation's Space Systems business area headquartered in Louisville, Colorado, designs and manufactures advanced spacecraft, space vehicles, and spacecraft subsystems for commercial and government customers.  Space Systems (SS) has more than 20 years heritage in space, successfully delivering over 400 subsystems for 300+ satellite missions. For more information about SS visit www.sncspace.com.

SOURCE Sierra Nevada Corporation

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED