News & Events

TE’s Custom Transponder Helps Pluto Satellite Blast into Space

On January, 19, 2006, L-3 Telemetry East’s custom-designed LT401C Range Tracking Transponder helped send the New Horizons Pluto satellite into space aboard the Atlas V Rocket. The LT401C C-Band Range Safety Tracking transponder is used to verify that a launch vehicle remains within the launch window during the first phase of flight, and the Pluto mission was the first to employ it.. L-3 Telemetry East began development of the LT401C series about three years ago. "We've worked closely with our customer, United Space Alliance," said Bill Wargo, Vice President of Business Development at L-3 Telemetry East. "They are the heritage Boeing and Lockheed launch vehicle groups, and through our strong partnership, we created a compliant unit in early 2005 and achieved initial production by July 2005." L-3 Telemetry East was approached by Lockheed in early 2003 to develop a customized transponder that would meet unique requirements and comply with Range Safety standard EWR-127. L-3 Telemetry East also had to meet unique range safety delay variation and frequency tolerance requirements. "These requirements were never met before," said Wargo. "We’re pleased that our transponder is not only fully compliant to range safety requirements, but now is also flight proven. The LT401C performed flawlessly.”

For more information about the Pluto mission and to follow its path through space, visit http://pluto.jhuapl.edu.