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The United Launch Alliance (ULA) halted the planned launch of an Atlas V rocket into space on Wednesday, according to reports a tweet from the company. The company will be ready to do so try again in 48 hours – which presumably means Friday 6 November, but no explicit launch schedule was initially announced.
This came in the wake of a 24-hour delay for the swap of crucial hardware, according to a tweet from the company.
The launch would be streamed live on ULA’s YouTube channel at 5:54 PM EST on Wednesday, November 4thand brought a classified United States spy satellite into orbit.
RELATED: US MILITARIES LAUNCH A SECRET SATELLITE SPY INTO ORBIT
UPDATE Nov 4, 5:49 pm EST: ULA’s Launch Director scrubs Wednesday’s launch
ULA cleaned up the launch on Wednesday after an unplanned delay to allow a team of engineers to investigate a problem with the ground system valve, according to a tweet from the company.
The mission director, Colonel Chad Davis, said a scrub. ULA Launch Director Tom Heter III has told the launch team the decision that launch operations will not continue tonight. We will be ready for another attempt in 48 hours. https://t.co/XwIVipKr0D
– ULA (@ulalaunch) November 4, 2020
Mission Director Colonel Chad Davis said a scrub. ULA Launch Director Tom Heter III communicated to the launch team the decision that launch operations will not continue tonight. We will be ready for another attempt between 48 hours “, you read the tweet.
Although the date of the next attempt was not mentioned, the company suggested that it be prepared for another launch attempt starting Friday, November 6.
UPDATE November 4, 5:32 pm EST: ULA delays transmission, launch is still active
The ULA tweeted an update moments ago, delaying the launch broadcast for an unspecified duration.
As we continue to troubleshoot a ground system valve, the live broadcast will be delayed until further notice.
– ULA (@ulalaunch) November 4, 2020
“As we continue to troubleshoot a ground system valve, live broadcast will be delayed until further notice,” reads tweet.
The launch is presumably still underway, so stay tuned for more updates.
UPDATE Nov 4, 5:10 pm EST: ULA Atlas V launch “on hold” as team investigates valve problem
The ULA’s Atlas V mission is currently on hold as a team examines a problem with the ground system valve, which disrupted the countdown to today’s scheduled takeoff of a U.S. spy satellite, according to a tweet from the company’s Twitter profile.
If you’re joining us, a problem with the ground system valve has stopped the countdown for today #AtlasV rocket launch. A team has been sent to the pad to troubleshoot and these efforts continue. The countdown clock is kept before the refueling operations begin.
– ULA (@ulalaunch) November 4, 2020
“If you are joining us, a ground system valve problem has disrupted the countdown to today’s #AtlasV rocket launch. A team has been sent to the platform to troubleshoot and these efforts continue. the countdown clock is stopped before the refueling operations begin, “reads the Wednesday tweet.
“We don’t have a time limit for the launch tonight,” it reads another tweet from the company.
ULA Launch of the new US spy satellite aboard the Atlas V rocket.
The two-stage Atlas V rocket will take off from Space Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that manages the US government’s fleet of spy satellites.
Weather and clouds permitting, the launch will move just after sunset, at 5:54 PM EST, perhaps giving viewers a dazzling spectacle, as the early twilight of sunset (and sunrise) sets the sun in position to illuminate the plume of the rocket, which makes the exhaust look like a giant jellyfish rising into the sky, Space.com reports.
Incidentally, such launches are often mistaken for UFOs due to their typical wavy clouds, but rest assured that the clouds will be of very terrestrial origin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aynKNh6cvnI
Concerns about recent rocket launches interrupted by ULA
This mission – dubbed NROL-44 – suffered repeated delays due to a number of technical problems, which raised concerns regarding the mission’s architecture.
Initially scheduled to launch in June 2020 and worth $ 1 billion, the first launch attempt (Aug 29) was canceled just three seconds before takeoff due to a failure of the regulator for the central engine.
On September 29, the launch was again delayed when “the terminal countdown sequencer rack (TCSR) identified an unexpected condition prior to the engine starting sequence,” according to an update from the official ULA website.
Elon Musk calls ULA ‘complete waste of taxpayer dollars’
About a week after the US Air Force said SpaceX would launch 40% of its homeland security missions from 2022 to 2026 – with ULA covering the remaining 60%, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk vented his frustration over the decision on Twitter, saying:
“Since their rockets are not reusable, it will become obvious over time that ULA is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money,” tweeted Moss.
ULA launched the first US Space Force mission into orbit
Despite delays and industry rivalries, the ULA has been successful in the recent past. The fledgling US Space Force launched its first mission into orbit via the ULA’s Atlas V rocket in March 2020, deploying the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite, a secure communications platform for the United States and allied nations.
“I meant congratulations to the fledgling United States Space Force, and to say how excited we are to fly the first mission for the Space Force, “ULA CEO Tory Bruno said during the broadcast.” And I think it’s so fitting that the advanced AEHF 6 spacecraft is [that will] provide secure military communications around the world. “
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