![]() “I’m continually impressed by our partners and our NRO team members on their ability to find new and innovative ways to collaborate in this environment and ensure we are meeting our mission requirements while prioritizing the safety, security and health of our entire launch team.” “2020 has been an especially challenging year for the launch and space community given the COVID-19 pandemic,” Davis said in a statement. Chad Davis, director of the NRO’s Office of Space Launch. “The successful launch of NROL-101 is another example of the NRO’s commitment to constantly evolving our crucial national security systems to support our defense and intelligence partners,” said U.S. An Atlas 5 rocket streaks toward the northeast from Cape Canaveral on Friday evening. EDT (0144 GMT) to confirm a successful conclusion to the launch, known as NROL-101. The NRO issued a press release at 8:44 p.m. The Atlas 5’s Centaur upper stage was expected to take over for multiple firings of its Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engine before deploying the NRO payload in orbit. ULA’s live broadcast ended, and the rest of the mission occurred in secret. The rocket’s Swiss-made payload fairing dropped away after the three minute-point of the mission, revealing the NRO’s classified payload after the Atlas 5 reached the uppermost layers of the atmosphere.Īt that point, the mission entered a government-ordered news blackout, citing the sensitive nature of the national security payload. The three solid-fueled boosters burned out and jettisoned from the rocket nearly two minutes into the flight, with the spent motor casings clearly visible as they tumbled in Atlas 5’s wake. After darting through low clouds, the launcher arced toward the northeast and climbed into light from the setting sun illuminated the rocket’s smoke plume in orange. ![]() The Atlas 5’s RD-180 main engine roared to life at T-minus 2.7 seconds, followed moments later by ignition of the three GEM 63 strap-on boosters. The Atlas 5 rolled out to pad 41 again Thursday afternoon in preparation for Friday’s launch opportunity.Ī couple of minor technical concerns delayed the launch 19 minutes into Friday evening’s window, but ULA cleared the issues and the launch team voiced approval to proceed with the terminal countdown as the sun set on Florida’s Space Coast. Once teams resolved the valve issue, ULA decided to return the rocket to its vertical hangar again for protection against bad weather from Tropical Storm Eta. 4 that was later scrubbed due to a problem with valves in the ground liquid oxygen system at launch pad 41. ULA rolled the Atlas 5 rocket back to its hangar to replace an environmental control system duct feeding conditioned air to the payload on top of the launcher, setting up for a countdown Nov. The Atlas 5 mission was delayed several times from an original launch attempt planned Nov. EST (2232 GMT) Friday.Ī little more than three hours later, ULA and the National Reconnaissance Office - which owns the payload launched on top of the Atlas 5 rocket - released press statements declaring the mission a success. The three GEM 63 boosters and a kerosene-fueled Russian-made RD-180 engine produced nearly 1.8 million pounds of thrust to propel the 206-foot-tall (63-meter) Atlas 5 off the launch pad at Cape Canaveral at 5:32 p.m. The new booster design, produced by Northrop Grumman and named the GEM 63, replaces the AJ-60A solid rocket boosters from Aerojet Rocketdyne that powered previous Atlas 5 missions. government’s spy satellite agency soared into orbit from Cape Canaveral at the tip of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket Friday night, successfully debuting a new solid-fueled booster design that ULA says are cheaper and easier to handle than previous strap-on motors. ![]() Credit: United Launch AllianceĪ top secret cargo for the U.S. An Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral on Friday evening.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |