COSPAR ID 2013-011A Spacecraft type SBIRS-GEO Launch date 19 March 2013 | SATCAT no. 39120 Bus Lockheed Martin A2100 | |
Mission type Infrared early warningIRINT Similar USA‑243, Drag and Atmosph, Bell, Graham, Alexander | ||
USA-241, also known as SBIRS-GEO 2, is an American military satellite and part of the Space-Based Infrared System. It was launched on March 19, 2013 from Cape Canaveral, atop an Atlas V rocket.
The SBIRS satellites are a replacement for the Defense Support Program early warning system. They are intended to detect ballistic missile launches, as well as various other events in the infrared spectrum, including nuclear explosions, aircraft flights, space object entries and reentries, wildfires and spacecraft launches.
SBIRS-GEO 2 was manufactured by Lockheed Martin and is built upon the A2100M satellite bus.
In October 2013, the satellite was incorporated into the United States early warning network.
References
USA-241 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA