Tag: Atlas V
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ULA Atlas V conducts SBIRS-GEO-3 launch from the Cape
The US Air Force’s third Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous missile detection satellite rode to orbit atop United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket on Friday, lifting off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, following a scrub of Thursday’s opening attempt. Atlas V Launch: Thursday’s attempt was proceeding to plan until a sensor issue resulted in…
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Atlas V completes ULA’s 2016 with EchoStar XIX launch
United Launch Alliance launched its last Atlas V rocket of 2016 Sunday, deploying the EchoStar XIX commercial communications satellite for Hughes Network Systems. The launch, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, occurred during a two-hour window at 14:13 Eastern Time (19:13 UTC). Atlas V Launch: EchoStar XIX, also known as Jupiter 2, is a high-capacity…
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Busy December to mark end of year global launch salvo
Up to 15 orbital launches are set to take place during a very busy December, not counting the opening mission of the month that resulted in the loss of the Progress MS-04 cargo ship that was set to dock with the ISS over the weekend. This month is likely to include the highly anticipated return…
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Atlas V successfully launches with GOES-R advanced weather satellite
An Atlas V rocket has successfully deployed a next-generation weather satellite for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Saturday. The United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket launched from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral at the end of a one hour-long window at 18:42 local time (23:42 UTC). GOES-R Launch: The GOES-R satellite, which rode aboard…
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As OA-7 Cygnus moves to Atlas V, high praise noted for Antares RTF
Citing exceptional and beyond performance expectations on the Return To Flight mission of their Antares rocket during the OA-5 launch of the Cygnus resupply craft to the International Space Station last month, Orbital ATK sat down with NASASpaceflight.com to discuss the realignment of the company’s upcoming OA-7 mission early next year from Antares to Atlas…
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Atlas V launches WorldView-4 out of Vandenberg
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket – interrupted by a wildfire – finally conducted a rare commercial launch on Friday, tasked with orbiting the WorldView-4 Earth-imaging satellite in a mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The launch was set to take place in September, prior to the standdown. Atlas V Launch: The launch…
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NASA green lights key phase for Landsat-9’s development
NASA has contracted Orbital ATK via a “delivery order under the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition III (Rapid III)” contract for construction of the Landsat 9 spacecraft. The latest spacecraft in the Landsat series, which began operations in 1972, is expected to be launched by an Atlas V from Vandenberg in late 2020. Landsat-9: This latest spacecraft will…
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Atlas V and Starliner reveal new configuration to mitigate aerodynamic issues
After months of speculation into changes relating to the OML (Outer Mold Line) for the Atlas V and Starliner design, United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Boeing finally revealed an updated aerodynamic configuration that provides an aeroskirt aft of the spacecraft to counter loads margins and return the stresses on the stack into acceptable flight levels. Atlas…
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Atlas V begins OSIRIS-REx’s round trip to the asteroid Bennu
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has began a seven-year round trip to the asteroid Bennu on Thursday, beginning its journey via a launch aboard the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V. Liftoff from SLC-41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was on time, at the start of a 115-minute window that opened at 19:05 local time…
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GOES-R next generation weather satellite arrives for Florida processing
The next generation weather satellite, Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite “GOES-R”, has arrived in Florida for pre-launch processing. The spacecraft completed a plane ride inside a USAF C-5 cargo plane, touching down on the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) runway on Monday ahead of being unpacked on Tuesday. GOES-R: GOES-R is first of four next-generation weather satellites,…