Historic Satellite Launch Successful

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Swales Aerospace (Swales) satellite technology has enabled the deployment of a constellation of five NASA spacecraft that are the central element of the THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) mission. The constellation of satellites was launched successfully under NASA's THEMIS program -- a scientific research mission led by the Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at UC Berkeley and managed by the Explorer Office at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Swales developed the THEMIS satellite buses and satellite carrier, which allows for the simultaneous deployment of multiple satellites into space.

The 2-year THEMIS mission will provide critical data about the origin of the explosive geomagnetic substorms, the role they play in severe space weather, and the impact they have on Earth. Although these bursts of energy create the spectacular Northern Lights, the electrically-charged storms could also endanger astronauts, interfere with satellite communications, and cause damage to electrical power grids on Earth. To date, the only information available on this space phenomenon has been limited to data from a single satellite.

This marked the first time in NASA's history that five scientific satellites, or what are referred to as probes, have been launched together. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center was responsible for the successful launch of THEMIS aboard a Delta II rocket. Launch services were conducted by the United Launch Alliance.

Once in space, the carrier dispensed the identical dishwasher-sized satellites successfully into orbit. The probes are expected to utilize their hydrazine propulsion system in September 2007 to reach their final, tightly- choreographed orbits that will allow scientists to pinpoint the elusive source of the explosive substorms. The five THEMIS satellites will be aligned in space along the Sun-Earth line once per four days over North America where a network of THEMIS ground observatories will measure the auroral light and substorm space currents. Knowledge gained from the satellites will allow for better protection of communications and energy sources on Earth, as well as safer space travel.

Swales Aerospace CEO Mike Cerneck said, "With a hallmark of offering unparalleled capability to achieve success, Swales is pleased to have developed the carrier and satellite technology that will allow the THEMIS mission to provide more comprehensive scientific information than ever before. The Swales satellite and deployment system technology is a great example of our engineering innovation, and we are pleased to be a part of the talented team on this groundbreaking NASA research program."

Established in 1978, Swales Aerospace is an employee-owned company headquartered in Beltsville, MD that offers a full range of engineering capability to the aerospace industry -- services for study, design, development, fabrication, integration, testing, verification and operation of space flight, as well as ground system hardware and software. With revenues of $193 million, the company employs more than 900 with branch offices in CA and VA. Additional company information is available at http://www.swales.com.