[ad_1]
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – The United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched Atlas in the space rocket today (November 13), after a series of delays due to hardware problems and poor weather conditions at the launch site.
A 63 meter (206 ft) high rocket fired from Space Launch Complex 41 here at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 5:32 PM EST (2232 GMT) and was carrying a classified payload for the National Bureau of Investigation, which operates the government’s fleet of spy satellites. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
The NROL-101 mission is the fifth ULA launch this year; the company launched various other payloads for the military and for NASA’s Perseverance Mars rovever. The National Bureau of Investigation (NRA) looked into the details of the typical payload of these types of missions, but confirmed that the payload was designed and developed by the NRA.
Video: Start! The US spy satellite takes off atop the Atlas V rocket.
Related: Photos and models of declassified US spy satellites (gallery)
The start of the mission, originally scheduled for November 3, was delayed for 24 hours for the first time when the team noticed a problem in the vehicle’s environmental control system. Hardware replacement was ordered, and crews worked to replace the damaged piping of the environmental control system, which provides air conditioning for the rocket’s payload.
The rocket returned to the mat for another launch attempt. As the countdown progressed, teams noticed a problem with the vehicle’s fuel system, which prevented the rocket from being loaded with super-cooled oxygen, one of its propellants. The countdown stopped and the start was postponed again.
The latest delay was caused by Mother Nature in the form of the Tropical Storm State, which escalated to a hurricane on Monday (Nov. 9) and threatened to cause rain and wind in Florida as the storm hit the state. Fortunately, Eta didn’t last long, and on Friday it helped improve weather conditions in Cape Cape significantly.
Weather forecasts predicted a 90% chance of favorable conditions for launch on Friday night, the only cause for concern being cumulus clouds.
Today’s launch took place the 29th mission for the NRO, and the 17th mission of this type began on Atlas V. (another 12 launches for the company’s Delta IV missiles). The NROL-101 mission marked Atlas V’s 86th anniversary since the missile’s debut in 2002.
The NRA uses these “eyes in the sky” to provide optical and radar images of the Earth from space, as well as to send and intercept secure communications to various intelligence agencies.
As usual with this type of mission, the NRA didn’t reveal many details about this launch or its payload. Warnings sent to pilots and rowers and an animation of the ULA mission profile indicate that the rocket is flying in a northeast orbit, which will eventually place it in a high-slope orbit with smooth views of the Northern Hemisphere.
The ULA has another government payload located on nearby land. The Delta IV Heavy is expected to lift the NROL-44 payload into orbit this year. This mission, which was founded due to hardware issues on the pad, was originally scheduled to begin in August, but has been postponed indefinitely.
Related: The Pentagon has chosen SpaceX, ULA, to launch national security missions
The two-stage Atlas V rolled onto a mat from the nearby integration facility on Thursday afternoon (November 12) for a fourth boot attempt. Once the crews were in place, they began preparing the rocket for its flight.
Atlas V is powered by a mixture of liquid oxygen and RP-1, a refined form of kerosene used for space flights, and liquid hydrogen in its upper stage, which was loaded into the rocket on Friday afternoon. The vehicle flew in the “531” configuration with three solid-fuel rocket engines, a payload of 17.7 feet (5.4 m), which was the first NRA mission to use this variant.
It was the fourth time in a row that the Atlas V had flown in the 531 configuration and the first mission to use recently innovated solid-fuel rocket engines. Each of the three previous flights in this version carried Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) communications satellites for the US military.
In the photos: Atlas V launches the AEHF-6 military satellite for the US space forces
The GEM 63 ribbon rocket amplifiers are manufactured by Northrop Grumman and were manufactured to replace previous models produced by Aerojet Rocketdyne. Each of the 20m long rocket engines has an additional £ 373,800 thrust. According to ULA, GEM 63 is easier to use and costs less than previous iterations.
Once the ULA Volcanic Centaur rocket flies, it will be powered by a more agile version of solid fuel rocket engines called the GEM 63XL. By testing a smaller version on the Atlas V, the rocket manufacturer plans to adequately test the capabilities of the GEM before connecting one to the Vulcan.
Preparations for the launch of NROL-101 began several months ago, on 9/11, when teams began assembling an Atlas V rocket into an integration device adjacent to the platform. ULA teams began by lifting the first stage on the Atlas mobile starting platform, then adding a trio of solid fuel motor vehicles, and finally the upper stage. The payload was installed on October 26.
Today’s launch was the first of double connections planned this weekend, as SpaceX prepares to launch its next crew mission to the International Space Station. On Saturday night (November 14), the Falcon 9 rocket will be launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A and will have a crew of four astronauts with it.
If all goes to plan, Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker, Victor Glover and Soichi Noguchi from Japan will board an 8.5-hour flight to the ISS. The crew will stay at the station for six months, launching their first long-duration mission from Florida. Takeoff is scheduled for 7:49 PM EST (Nov 15 0049 GMT) and the launch will be broadcast live on ProfoundSpace.org.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.
Source link
