Wallops to Launch NFIRE Mission
March 29, 2007
 WALLOPS ISLAND, VA - Wallops Flight Facility will return to Space next month with
the anticipated launch of a Minotaur 1 rocket. With
support from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Launch Pad 0-B is the setting for later this Spring. The
payload, a Near Field Infrared Experiment satellite, or NFIRE, will be the second Air Force vehicle to depart the
shores of the Wallops Research Range. Last December, Wallops launched the Air Force TacSat-2 satellite into
low-earth orbit.
This Missile Defense Agency NFIRE payload has a national defense mission. The satellite is part of a study of how to better
intercept Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles targeted against the United States.
The irony is the Minotaur itself is a rocket that is constructed from old ICBMs. The first two stages are known as Minutemen,
technology that was originally developed to carry nuclear weapons but now the industry uses to carry other payloads.
There are many government and non government agencies working toward a successful launch. Teams from General Dynamic,
Orbital, Missile Defense Agency, as well as NASA and its contractors all have a part in the upcoming launch.
Wallops Flight Facility, one of only six spaceports in the United States that are federally licensed, also happens to be the
only launch range solely owned and operated by NASA.
The Wallops Research Range Mission and Management office provides leadership throughout the project. Program Manager Jack
Vieira is currently overseeing a Wallops operation that includes the Mission Control Center, a ground-based network that includes
Radar and Telemetry, a Payload Processing Facility that offers final onsite spacecraft assembly, Photographic services, Meteorological
Operations, Launch Preparation Services, and a myriad of other services.
Dr. John Campbell, Director of Wallops Flight Facility, told a crowd at the Wallops Visitor Center recently
that the rocket is highly reliable and area residents can expect a bit of noise the morning of the launch. "There's
going to be a little rumble," Campbell said, "but there shouldn't
be any broken windows."
The Minotaur rocket is 70 feet tall and 5-feet wide at its base. Consisting of 4 stages, the Minotaur will place the satellite
into orbit just a few minutes after liftoff.
For those who would like to view the launch, Assateague and Chincoteague are ideal places. With four stages firing throughout
the launch, the rocket will be visible to the naked eye until the rocket is on the outer edges of the atmosphere.
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