On Wednesday the Atlas V rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, marking the tenth launch of a Block IIF satellite for the United States Air Force and another successful launch for the ever reliable ULA launch vehicle.
At exactly 11:36 EDT the 58.3 meter Atlas V rocket took to the skies, powered by the Russian RD-180 first stage engine. The rocket passed max-Q, the moment of maximum dynamic pressure, around 90 seconds into flight, and first engine cut off occurred at T+4 minutes. Following stage separation, the RL10 upper stage engine ignited, raising the orbit of the satellite to its designated transfer orbit.
A final burn occurred 3 hours after the first burn, and the satellite was separated from the Centaur upper stage into a circular orbit at an altitude of 20,500 kilometers and an inclination of 55 degrees.
At exactly 11:36 EDT the 58.3 meter Atlas V rocket took to the skies, powered by the Russian RD-180 first stage engine. The rocket passed max-Q, the moment of maximum dynamic pressure, around 90 seconds into flight, and first engine cut off occurred at T+4 minutes. Following stage separation, the RL10 upper stage engine ignited, raising the orbit of the satellite to its designated transfer orbit.
A final burn occurred 3 hours after the first burn, and the satellite was separated from the Centaur upper stage into a circular orbit at an altitude of 20,500 kilometers and an inclination of 55 degrees.
Launch Complex-41, originally built in the 1960s for the Titan IIIC rocket, has been the home of the Atlas V rocket since 2002. The most notable payloads to be launched from LC-41 includes the Helios probes, which studied the Sun in the 1970s, the Voyager probes that are now leaving the Solar System, and New Horizons, which recently passed Pluto and provided remarkable photos of the Pluto and its moons.
The GPS IIF-10 satellite has joined 9 other satellites in the Block IIF constellation, used to maintain the operation of the Navstar Global Positioning System. The satellite, constructed by Boeing, has a mass of 1630 kg (3590 lb) and a design life of 12 years.
Following Wednesday’s launch, there are just two more GPS IIF satellites yet to have launched. GPS IIF-11 is expected to lift off in late October and GPS IIF-12 tentatively scheduled for February next year. The first next generation Block III satellite, GPS IIA-1, is scheduled to launch aboard a Delta IV rocket in the first quarter of 2017.
Following Wednesday’s launch, there are just two more GPS IIF satellites yet to have launched. GPS IIF-11 is expected to lift off in late October and GPS IIF-12 tentatively scheduled for February next year. The first next generation Block III satellite, GPS IIA-1, is scheduled to launch aboard a Delta IV rocket in the first quarter of 2017.