Northrop Grumman Ships ASBM Satellites to Space Norway Ahead of Launch

Northrop Grumman has turned over two satellites to Space Norway for the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission, aimed at providing continuous broadband coverage across the North Pole and underserved high-latitude areas.

The payloads the satellites will host include the Enhanced Polar System-Recapitalization program, the first operational U.S. military payload to fly on a commercial spacecraft operated by an international partner, SpaceNews reported.

An X band payload from the Norwegian Armed Forces, a Ka band payload from commercial satellite operator Viasat and a Norwegian Radiation Monitor payload will also be onboard the satellites.

Northrop Grumman manufactured the satellites on its GEOStar-3 platform at its Dulles, Virginia, facility. The company will also be in charge of managing the EPS-R payload, which aims to ensure secure communication capabilities, and its dedicated ground station.

The ASBM-1 and ASBM-2 satellites are scheduled for launch in mid-July from Vandenberg Space Force base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.