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Atlas V blasts off on GPS-Satellite Delivery Mission
An Atlas V 401 rocket carrying the GPS IIF10 satellite blasted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Wednesday at 15:36 UTC, embarking on a mission of three and a half hours to deliver the GPS IIF10 satellite to an orbit over 20,000 Kilometers in altitude. Atlas V successfully reached a parking orbit for a three-hour coast phase ahead of a critical burn of its Centaur upper stage to circularize the orbit for spacecraft separation at 18:59 UTC.
Atlas V went through a quiet countdown operation picking up seven and a half hours prior to the opening of the day’s 18-minute launch window. The first several hours of the count were dedicated to detailed checkouts of the Atlas V and final hands-on work at the launch pad to configure the 58-meter tall rocket and all ground systems for blastoff. The vehicle headed into propellant loading when clocks resumed counting at T-2 hours to begin the process of filling the two stages of the rocket with Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen – Rocket Propellant 1 had been loaded into the first stage on Tuesday.
Tanking was completed without issue and clocks ticked down to T-4 minutes for a 30-minute hold giving teams time for final setup tasks and the required GO/NoGO polls. All stations were able to report a GO for launch including the Eastern Range and the Launch Weather Officer as cumulus clouds stayed away from the Cape and conditions were seen improving throughout the countdown. Heading into T-4 minutes, Atlas V executed the final steps needed to transition to its liftoff configuration.
Three seconds prior to blastoff, the massive two-chamber RD-180 engine soared to life, reaching a liftoff thrust of 390 metric ton-force. Climbing from its pad after lifting off at 15:36:00 UTC, Atlas V balanced in a vertical posture for 18 seconds before pitching and rolling onto a north-easterly flight path, targeting an obit inclined 55 degrees. The first stage showed good performance throughout its burn of four minutes and 3 seconds that was followed by the separation of the Centaur Upper Stage and the ignition of the RL-10C engine, reaching its full thrust of 11,200kgf.
Centaur burned for 12 minutes and 43 seconds and successfully placed the stack into an elliptical transfer orbit with its apogee close to the GPS orbital altitude. This successful first burn set the vehicle up for a three-hour coast phase that will take it to a position near the high point of the orbit so that the second burn can serve as circularization maneuver. This lengthy coast takes the vehicle across the Atlantic, over the UK, a large portion of Central and Eastern Europe, the Black Sea, the Arabian Peninsula and out over the Indian Ocean to head to a position to the south of Australia for the second burn.
Re-start of the RL-10C engine of Centaur is expected three hours and 17 minutes after liftoff on a short burn of one minute and 28 seconds to raise the perigee and aim for a circular orbit. GPS IIF10 is targeting the standard GPS orbit of 20,459 Kilometers inclined 55° to take its place within Plane C of the GPS constellation. Spacecraft separation is expected at 18:59 UTC on Wednesday.
An Atlas V 401 rocket carrying the GPS IIF10 satellite blasted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Wednesday at 15:36 UTC, embarking on a mission of three and a half hours to deliver the GPS IIF10 satellite to an orbit over 20,000 Kilometers in altitude. Atlas V successfully reached a parking orbit for a three-hour coast phase ahead of a critical burn of its Centaur upper stage to circularize the orbit for spacecraft separation at 18:59 UTC.
Atlas V went through a quiet countdown operation picking up seven and a half hours prior to the opening of the day’s 18-minute launch window. The first several hours of the count were dedicated to detailed checkouts of the Atlas V and final hands-on work at the launch pad to configure the 58-meter tall rocket and all ground systems for blastoff. The vehicle headed into propellant loading when clocks resumed counting at T-2 hours to begin the process of filling the two stages of the rocket with Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen – Rocket Propellant 1 had been loaded into the first stage on Tuesday.
Tanking was completed without issue and clocks ticked down to T-4 minutes for a 30-minute hold giving teams time for final setup tasks and the required GO/NoGO polls. All stations were able to report a GO for launch including the Eastern Range and the Launch Weather Officer as cumulus clouds stayed away from the Cape and conditions were seen improving throughout the countdown. Heading into T-4 minutes, Atlas V executed the final steps needed to transition to its liftoff configuration.
Three seconds prior to blastoff, the massive two-chamber RD-180 engine soared to life, reaching a liftoff thrust of 390 metric ton-force. Climbing from its pad after lifting off at 15:36:00 UTC, Atlas V balanced in a vertical posture for 18 seconds before pitching and rolling onto a north-easterly flight path, targeting an obit inclined 55 degrees. The first stage showed good performance throughout its burn of four minutes and 3 seconds that was followed by the separation of the Centaur Upper Stage and the ignition of the RL-10C engine, reaching its full thrust of 11,200kgf.
Centaur burned for 12 minutes and 43 seconds and successfully placed the stack into an elliptical transfer orbit with its apogee close to the GPS orbital altitude. This successful first burn set the vehicle up for a three-hour coast phase that will take it to a position near the high point of the orbit so that the second burn can serve as circularization maneuver. This lengthy coast takes the vehicle across the Atlantic, over the UK, a large portion of Central and Eastern Europe, the Black Sea, the Arabian Peninsula and out over the Indian Ocean to head to a position to the south of Australia for the second burn.
Re-start of the RL-10C engine of Centaur is expected three hours and 17 minutes after liftoff on a short burn of one minute and 28 seconds to raise the perigee and aim for a circular orbit. GPS IIF10 is targeting the standard GPS orbit of 20,459 Kilometers inclined 55° to take its place within Plane C of the GPS constellation. Spacecraft separation is expected at 18:59 UTC on Wednesday.