View source for Near Field Infrared Experiment

{{Infobox spaceflight
| name                  =Near Field Infrared Experiment
| names_list            =NFIRE <!--list of previous names if the spacecraft has been renamed. 
Include the dates applicable if possible, and separate each name with a linebreak. 
Omit if the spacecraft has only ever been known by one name. 
Do not include Harvard, COSPAR/NSSDC or SATCAT/NORAD/NASA designations as alternative names-->

<!--image of the spacecraft/mission-->
| image                 = [[Image:NFIRE.jpg|250px]]
| image_caption         = NFIRE satellite
| image_alt             = <!--image alt text-->
| image_size            = <!--include px/em; defaults to 220px-->

<!--Basic details-->
| mission_type          = <!--eg. Technology, Reconnaissance, ISS assembly, etc-->
| operator              = <!--organisation(s) that operate(d) the spacecraft-->
| Harvard_designation   = <!--spacecraft launched 1962 and earlier only (eg. 1957 Alpha 2)-->
| COSPAR_ID             = <!--spacecraft launched since 1963 only (aka NSSDC ID; eg. 1998-067A)-->
| SATCAT                = <!--satellite catalogue number, omit leading zeroes (e.g. 25544)-->
| website               = <!--Homepage of the craft/mission, OFFICIAL PAGES ONLY-->
| mission_duration      = <!--How long the mission lasted-->
| distance_travelled    = <!--How far the spacecraft travelled (if known)-->
| orbits_completed      = <!--number of times the spacecraft orbited the Earth - see below for spacecraft beyond Earth orbit-->
| suborbital_range      = <!--downrange distance reached if spacecraft did not enter orbit-->
| suborbital_apogee     = <!--altitude reached if spacecraft did not enter orbit-->

<!--Spacecraft properties-->
| spacecraft            = <!--Spacecraft name/serial number (eg. Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', Apollo CM-118), etc-->
| spacecraft_type       = <!--eg. GPS Block II, Kobalt-M, US-K, etc-->
| spacecraft_bus        = <!--eg. A2100M, Star-2, etc-->
| manufacturer          = <!--company or companies who built the satellite-->
| launch_mass           = <!--fuelled mass at launch, not including rocket or upper stage-->
| BOL_mass              = <!--spacecraft mass in orbit at beginning of operational life, after LEOP phase-->
| landing_mass          = <!--Mass after landing (recovered spacecraft only)-->
| dry_mass              = <!--spacecraft mass in orbit without fuel-->
| payload_mass          = <!--Mass of cargo carried by spacecraft (eg. for Space Shuttle), or total mass of instrumentation/equipment/experiments for mission-->
| dimensions            = <!--body dimensions and solar array span-->
| power                 = <!--end-of-life power, in watts-->

<!--Launch details-->
| launch_date           = {{start date|2007|04|24|06|48|7=Z}}
| launch_rocket         = [[Minotaur rocket]]
| launch_site           = [[Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport|MARS]] [[Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Launch Pad 0|LP-0B]]
| launch_contractor     = <!--organisation(s) that conducted the launch (eg. United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, etc)-->
| deployment_from       = <!--place where deployed from-->
| deployment_date       = <!--date deployed-->
| entered_service       = <!--date on which the spacecraft entered service, if it did not do so immediately after launch-->
<!-- * - e.g. Proton-M/Briz-M not Proton-M, but Titan IV(401)A not Titan IV(401)A-Centaur-->

<!--end of mission-->
| disposal_type         = <!--Whether the spacecraft was deorbited, decommissioned, placed in a graveyard orbit, etc-->
| deactivated           = <!--when craft was decommissioned-->
| destroyed             = <!--when craft was destroyed (if other than by re-entry)-->
| last_contact          = <!--when last signal received if not decommissioned-->
| recovery_by           = <!--recovered by-->
| recovery_date         = <!--recovery date-->
| decay_date            = {{end date|2015|11|04}}
| landing_date          = <!--when the spacecraft made a controlled landing, not needed if it did not return intact-->
| landing_site          = <!--where the craft landed; site/runway or coordinates-->
<!--
    The following template should be used for ONE of the three above fields "end_of_mission", "decay" or "landing" if the spacecraft is no longer operational.
    If it landed intact, use it for the landing time, otherwise for the date it ceased operations, or the decay date if it was still operational when it re-entered.
    {{end date|YYYY|MM|DD|hh|mm|ss|TZ=Z}} (for Zulu/UTC) or {{end date|YYYY|MM|DD}} (if time unknown) 
-->

<!--orbit parameters-->
<!--as science-related articles, SI units should be the principal units of measurement, however we usually use {{convert}} to display imperial units in parentheses after the initial values-->
| orbit_reference       = [[Geocentric orbit|Geocentric]]
| orbit_regime          = <!--high, low, medium, molniya, GSO - please link (e.g. [[Low Earth orbit|Low Earth]] - please don't use acronyms-->
| orbit_longitude       = <!--geosynchronous satellites only-->
| orbit_slot            = <!--Designation of orbital position or slot, if not longitude (e.g plane and position of a GPS satellite)-->
| orbit_semimajor       = <!--semimajor axis-->
| orbit_eccentricity    = 0.01551
| orbit_periapsis       = {{convert|255|km|abbr=on}} 
| orbit_apoapsis        = {{convert|464|km|abbr=on}} 
| orbit_inclination     = 48.2°
| orbit_period          = 91.7 min
| orbit_RAAN            = <!--right ascension of the ascending node-->
| orbit_arg_periapsis   = <!--argument of perigee/periapsis-->
| orbit_mean_anomaly    = <!--mean anomaly at epoch, only use in conjunction with an epoch value-->
| orbit_mean_motion     = <!--mean motion of the satellite, usually measured in orbits per day-->
| orbit_repeat          = <!--repeat interval/revisit time-->
| orbit_velocity        = <!--speed at which the spacecraft was travelling at epoch - only use for spacecraft with low orbital eccentricity-->
| orbit_epoch           = <!--the date at which the orbit parameters were correct-->
| orbit_rev_number      = <!--revolution number-->
| apsis                 = gee

<!--transponder parameters-->
| trans_band            = <!--Transponder frequency bands-->
| trans_frequency       = <!--specific frequencies-->
| trans_bandwidth       = <!--bandwidth-->
| trans_capacity        = <!--capacity of the transponders-->
| trans_coverage        = <!--area covered-->
| trans_TWTA            = <!--TWTA output power-->
| trans_EIRP            = <!--equivalent isotropic power-->
| trans_HPBW            = <!--half-power beam width-->

<!--Only use where a spacecraft/mission is part of a clear programme of sequential missions. 
If in doubt, leave it out-->
| programme             = 
| previous_mission      =
| next_mission          =

<!--mission insignia or patch-->
| insignia              = <!--omit the "file" prefix-->
| insignia_caption      = <!--image caption-->
| insignia_alt          = <!--image alt text-->
| insignia_size         = <!--include px/em; defaults to 180px-->
}}

The '''Near Field Infrared Experiment''' (NFIRE) was a satellite that was proposed and developed by the [[Missile Defense Agency]], a division of the [[United States Department of Defense]]. It was launched atop a [[Minotaur rocket]], from [[Wallops Island]], at 06:48 [[GMT]] on 24 April 2007. Though primarily designed to gather data on exhaust plumes from rockets, the satellite was also intended to contain a [[kill vehicle]] similar to kinds intended for the [[Strategic Defense Initiative]].  A missile was then to be fired at and nearly miss the instrumented kill vehicle. This feature was later removed.<ref>{{cite web|title=MDA Budget Documents Detail NFIRE Experiments |author=Jeremy Singer |url=http://www.space.com/spacenews/archive05/Nfire_041805.html |publisher=[[Space.com]] |accessdate=2008-09-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524124347/https://www.space.com/spacenews/archive05/Nfire_041805.html |archivedate=May 24, 2009 }}</ref>

NFIRE was funded by $44 million in FY2004.  In 2004, the [[United States House of Representatives]] instructed the [[Missile Defense Agency]], MDA, to remove the kill vehicle from the planned 2006 NFIRE launch, approving $68 million in FY2005 subject to that condition.<ref>{{cite web|title=The war of words over war in space|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4732874|author=James Oberg|date=16 April 2004 |publisher=[[NBC News]]|access-date=2008-09-18}}</ref>
The [[Senate Appropriations Committee]] reviewing the NFIRE program, however, urged the MDA to return the missile defense interceptor ([[kill vehicle]]) to the originally scheduled test, despite the controversial perception of this leading to the deployment of weapons in space. The committee, which approved $13.7 million for the NFIRE program in FY06, told the MDA to "complete development and mission integration of the deployable NFIRE Kill Vehicle."

The MDA removed the kill vehicle portion of the planned test, saying it posed a risk of technical failure, and replaced it with a laser communications payload from [[Tesat-Spacecom]].<ref>{{cite web|title=STSS Satellites Could Benefit From NFIRE Demo |url=http://www.space.com/spacenews/archive06/Stss_040306.html |author=Jeremy Singer |publisher=[[Space.com]] |accessdate=2008-09-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724115306/http://www.space.com/spacenews/archive06/Stss_040306.html |archivedate=July 24, 2008 }}</ref>

NFIRE reentered the Earth's atmosphere on November 4, 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=31140 |title=NFIRE |work=N2YO.com |date=November 4, 2015 |access-date=July 27, 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
{{Commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070824044452/http://www.spacesecurity.org/BN-Space-BasedStrikeWeapons.pdf Space Security Index 2005 Space Based Strike Weapons Briefing]

{{Orbital launches in 2007}}

[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 2007]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 2015]]
[[Category:Missile defense]]
[[Category:Satellites of the United States]]
[[Category:Space weapons]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched by Minotaur rockets]]