Launch Safety
ENSCO supports critical range safety systems at the United States Air Force’s (USAF) Eastern and Western Ranges. Our engineers design, integrate, test, participate in the launch ranges future architecture and launch ranges modernization efforts, specializing in instrumentation engineering:
Telemetry
ENSCO engineers are intimately involved in the entire life cycle of numerous telemetry modernization projects. When the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) needed to upgrade its capability at the Kodiak Launch Complex to support the increased telemetry requirements of complex Missile Defense Agency missions, they called ENSCO to perform the systems engineering and integration role, including requirements definition, design reviews, range integration support and final system verification. ENSCO currently provides verification support for the USAF’s telemetry modernization programs at the Eastern and Western launch ranges.
Radar
ENSCO plays an important role in the specification and evaluation of range radars used to track single or multiple objects. Eliminating or modernizing operational radars and determining the need for a technology refresh requires an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the operation, as well as of the installed equipment.
Command/Autonomous Destruct
Critical to terminating the flight of an errant missile or rocket is the command destruct system; therefore, launch ranges demand a 99.95 percent reliability rate from their command destruct system. ENSCO understands the critical task that the command destruct system supports and has provided expertise to the ranges for more than 30 years. Under a NASA contract, ENSCO integrated the functionality into an Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS). Most new commercial space flights are using an AFSS today.
Range Safety
The protection of life and property has always been the key tenet of launch range operations. No systems receive more scrutiny than the range safety systems. ENSCO has conducted independent evaluation of range safety systems for more than 30 years. Support includes software IV&V, algorithm analysis, independent operational test programs, design analysis and range safety operator training.
