ULA s Atlas V to launch final SBIRS GEO missile detection satellite nasaspaceflight.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nasaspaceflight.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
After a 24-hour delay due to a faulty temperature sensor in ground equipment, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket – with two small rideshare payloads – lifted off from Florida s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:37 p.m. ET.
The rocket used a Russian-built RD-180 main engine and strap-on solid-fuel boosters. Separation confirmed! The United Launch Alliance #AtlasV rocket has deployed the fifth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (#SBIRSGEO5) satellite to save lives through early warning missile detection, ULA announced in a tweet. 144, tweeted ULA President Tory Bruno, in reference to ULA s 144th successful mission. Thank you to our mission partners for the tremendous teamwork as we processed and launched this asset that provides powerful surveillance and critical capabilities to protect our warfighters, ULA Vice President of Government and Commercial Programs Gary Wentz said in a statement. We are proud to work with the U.S. Space
Spaceflight Insider
Theresa Cross
May 18th, 2021
The Atlas 5 “421” with SBIRS GEO 5 takes to the skies at Space Launch Complex 41. Credit: Theresa Cross/Spaceflight Insider
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to send the SBIRS GEO 5 satellite into space for U.S. Space Force and Missile Systems Center.
Liftoff took place at 1:31 p.m. EDT (17:31 UTC) May 18, 2021, at Space Launch Complex 41. It was the first Atlas 5 launch of the year and it flew in a “421” configuration, meaning it had a 4-meter payload fairing, two strap-on AJ-60A solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage.
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasts off with the U.S. military’s SBIRS GEO 5 satellite. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now
An upgraded, cyber-hardened $1 billion satellite to support the U.S. military’s missile defense systems rode into orbit from Cape Canaveral Tuesday at the tip of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.
Hosting a suite of sophisticated heat-seeking sensors, the Space Force’s fifth Space Based Infrared System, or SBIRS, satellite took off from pad 41 on Florida’s Space Coast on an Atlas 5 rocket at 1:37 p.m. EDT (1737 GMT) Tuesday.
Background image via ULA
The upcoming week in rocket launches promises to be fairly routine, that said, there are two particularly interesting missions. On Monday, the United Launch Alliance will orbit a U.S. military satellite that is designed to provide early warning of a missile launch and on Thursday, a Chinese Long March rocket will orbit the Tianzhou-2 cargo craft which will dock with the Tianhe module of the Chinese Space Station.
Monday, May 17
As mentioned, the United Launch Alliance is set to launch one of its Atlas V rockets (AV-091) into space carrying the U.S. military’s fifth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous (SBIRS GEO 5) satellite which has been designed for missile early warning detection. Secondary payloads going up on this launch include Technology Demonstration Orbiter 3 (TDO-3) and four CubeSats. You can find the live stream on YouTube.