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Video credit : NASA
This is the edited NASA video from todays Atlas V rocket launch from Vandenberg AFB in California. The Atlas rocket carried the latest Landsat satellite LDCM into a polar orbit.
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NASA Successfully launch LDCM satellite on Atlas V
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Atlas V LCDM Launch (Credit NASA)
A new Earth-watching sentinel is presently circling the globe in near-polar orbit, following today’s beautiful launch of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The spacecraft – which represents the eighth in a series of satellites, dating back to July 1972 – was successfully boosted aloft by United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket at 10:02 am PST (1:02 pm EST), right on the opening of the 48-minute ‘window’. Liftoff occurred from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex (SLC)-3, under clear skies, and was watched by NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
The launch kicks off a planned five-year mission which will provide moderate-resolution imaging of the Home Planet’s terrestrial and polar regions at visible and infrared wavelengths. This is expected to support future land planning, disaster response and water-use monitoring, together with maintaining a watchful eye on Earth’s climate, ecosystems, water cycle, surface and interior dynamics. The LDCM spacecraft is part of a collaborative effort between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. According to Project Scientist Jim Irons of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., it is quite simply “the best Landsat satellite yet launched in terms of quality and quantity of data”.
Atlas V to launch NASAs Landsat Satellite from Vandenberg AFB today
Atlas V Landsat Mission (Credit ULA)
An Atlas V rocket stands proud on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 3 (SLC-3) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch is planned for 10:02 PST (18:02 GMT) with a launch window extending to 10:50 PST.
The Atlas V is in the 401 configuration with a 4 meter payload fairing, no solid rocket boosters, and a single Centaur upper stage. Sitting at the top of the stack is the NASA Landsat satellite, a spacecraft designed to monitor the environmental characteristics of fragile areas of the planet, along with providing valuable planning data for future land developments and conservation.
Vandenberg Air Force Base is used when spacecraft are inserted into polar orbits, as opposed to Cape Canaveral which is used for equatorial orbits. The launch complex at VAFB is subtly different to the Cape Canaveral Atlas V facility. Here there rocket is encased in a mobile service tower that is rolled back from the launch pad rather than the rocket being rolled out to the pad.
Atlas V rocket with NROL-36 ready to launch at 2:39pm PDT
Rollback of Atlas V NROL-36, VAFB; second time (Credit ULA)
This morning shortly after 10:30am PDT the Mobile Service Tower was rolled away from the Atlas V rocket carrying the NROL-36 spy satellite and was locked into its launch position. Since then the countdown clock has been running smoothly getting the rocket prepared for the terminal countdown.
The picture to the left was taken in the morning sea mists after the MST had been rolled back. By now the mists should have burnt off and the sky should be clear for a beautiful launch.
Currently the rocket booster and the second Centaur stage are being fuelled and the engineers are making some final checks of the systems. The countdown will continue until T-4 minutes when there will be a scheduled hold. When the hold is complete at 2:35pm the clock will restart and count-down to T-0 at 2:39 when the engines will fire up and the rocket will blast off.
Preparations continue for the Atlas 5 – NROL-36 Launch today
Atlas V NROL-36 standing on Launch Pad at VAFB (Credit Pat Corkery, United Launch Alliance)
The latest launch of an Atlas V carrying the secret NROL-36 payload is continuing to target an on-time launch at 2:39 PDT (9:39 GMT) today. A mission controllers meeting yesterday reviewed the status of the rocket, payload and range readiness and approved the launch today.
A ULA spokesperson said “Everything is continuing on track for an on-time launch this afternoon of NROL-36 at 2:39 p.m. PDT. The team has been given the clear for tower rollback and is not working any technical issues at this time.“. The weather has been declared perfect for the launch attempt and things seem to be progressing well.
If you are not able to go to view the launch in person then the next best thing is to check out the ULA launch broadcast. This will start at 2:19pm PDT (9:39 GMT) and continue until about 5 minutes after the launch when there will be a media blackout.
Atlas V – NROL-36 Launch pushed out to September 13
NROL-36 Mission Badge (Credit ULA)
The Atlas V waiting to launch the top-secret NROL-36 spy satellite has slipped once again from Sept 6th to Sept 13th. This delay is due to logistical availability of the launch range and not to any technical fault with either the rocket, the payload or the launch pad.
The official delay communication from ULA states:
The launch of an Atlas V carrying the National Reconnaissance Office NROL-36 payload is being rescheduled. The NROL-36 mission leadership has established a new launch date of Sept. 13 and a request for this new launch date on the range has been submitted to the 30th Space Wing. The previously planned launch date of Sept. 6 was not available on the range and mission managers have elected to revise the launch date to Sept. 13 as preferred for overall operational considerations. The team working to implement the corrective actions for the range issue with the Mission Flight Control Center (MFCC) is currently finalizing the implementation, test and certification of the MFCC corrective actions. There are no issues being worked with either the Atlas V vehicle or the NROL-36 space vehicle and they remain secured in the Mobile Service Tower at Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Atlas V – NROL-36 Launch delayed until August 14th
NROL-36 Mission Badge (Credit ULA)
An Atlas V carrying a secret National Reconnaissance Office payload known only by its designation as NROL-36 was scrubbed yesterday as it was being prepared for launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The reason given by ULA was “a range instrumentation issue”.
This problem was expected to be fixed in time for a second attempt to launch today, but it turned out not to be the case and the launch originally rescheduled for August 4th. It looks as if the issue was more complex than was at first though and the next launch attempt has now been put back until at earliest August 14th. The official statement from ULA states: “The launch of an Atlas V carrying the National Reconnaissance Office NROL-36 payload has been further delayed to no earlier than Tuesday, Aug. 14 to provide additional time for resolution of a range instrumentation issue that developed during the initial launch attempt Aug. 2.“.
