United Launch Delta et Atlas

La joint venture United Launch Alliance entre Boeing Co et Lockeed Martin de 2005, procède aux lancements de fusées Delta GPS.

Le 48ème lancement a eu lieu avec succès le 17 aout

Sur PRnewswire

Cape Canaveral, Fla., (Aug. 17, 2009) – The 48th successful and final Air Force Delta II Global Positioning System satellite launch occurred today, ending one of the most successful space launch programs in American history. A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket launched GPS IIR-21(M) into orbit from Space Launch Complex-17A at 6:35 a.m., EDT today.
The first Air Force Delta II GPS launch occurred Feb. 14, 1989 and today’s launch marked the 48th GPS mission giving the program a 98 percent success rate. The first launch in 1989 was NAVSTAR II-1. NAVSTAR is now commonly known as GPS.
Following a nominal 1 hour and 8 minute flight, the rocket deployed the GPS IIR-21(M) spacecraft, the eighth modernized NAVSTAR Global Positioning System Block II R-M military navigation satellite. GPS is a space-based positioning system designed and operated as a 24-satellite constellation that provides precision navigation and timing information to military and civilian users worldwide.

“ Congratulations to the Air Force and our mission partners in deploying this revolutionary space system that has changed the world for the better in the past 20 years,” said Jim Sponnick, vice president, Delta Product Line. “One
third of the 143 successful Delta II launches were GPS satellites. The ULA Delta team is extremely proud to have launched this incredible constellation. During the past two decades, the system has changed how people live their lives on a daily basis. GPS has greatly improved military operations as well as numerous maritime, aircraft, civilian and business operations worldwide.”

While this launch concludes the Air Force use of Delta II as it transitions its systems to Atlas V and Delta IV, the Delta II will still keep launching into the future for NASA and commercial customers.

“ We have the STSS Demo launch set for September , the WorldView-2 launch scheduled for October, and several more scheduled beyond those missions,” Sponnick said. “The Delta II workhorse will remain the medium class launch
vehicle industry standard for years to come.”

Designed to operate for 10 years, GPS satellites orbit the Earth every 12 hours, emitting continuous navigation signals. With the proper equipment, users can receive these signals to precisely calculate time, location and velocity. In
addition to its military use, GPS satellites provide directional assistance to civilian users around the world.

The ULA Delta II 7925-9.5 configuration vehicle featured a ULA first stage booster powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and nine Alliant Techsystems (ATK) strap-on solid rocket motors. An Aerojet AJ10-118K engine powered the second stage. A spin-stabilized Star-48B solid-rocket motor built by ATK boosted the third stage. The payload was encased by a 9.5-foot-diameter metallic payload fairing.

ULA’s next launch is the Department of Defense PAN mission scheduled aboard an Atlas V from SLC-41 here.
A specific launch date in September has not been established.

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Lancement réussi d'ULA Atlas, troisième de l'année. Mise sur orbite de PAN


CAPE CANAVERAL AFS, Fla., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ --
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, on behalf of the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, successfully launched the PAN satellite at 5:35 p.m. EDT, today from Space Launch Complex- 41 as a commercial launch
service. This launch marks the 10th overall mission for ULA in 2009 and the third Atlas V mission of the year.

"ULA is proud to have played a critical role in the success of this important mission," said Mark Wilkins, ULA vice president of Atlas programs. "Close teamwork with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force's 45th Space Wing at Cape Canaveral made today's launch possible."

This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V 401 configuration and used a single common core booster powered by the RD-180 engine and a single engine Centaur upper stage. The launch portion of the mission was completed with spacecraft separation approximately two hours after launch.

ULA's next launch, currently scheduled for no earlier than Sept. 18, is the STSS Demo satellite for the United States Missile Defense Agency aboard a Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex-17B here.

ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., Harlingen, Texas, San Diego, Calif., and Denver, Colo. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

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Image prise de loin ( zone militaire )

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Lancement finalement réussi depuis la base de Vandenberg pour la fusée Delta II emportant le satellite WordView 2


United Launch Alliance provided the launch services for this mission on behalf of Boeing Launch Services. Delta II rockets previously launched both the Quickbird-2 mission in October 2001 and the WorldView-1 mission in September 2007 for DigitalGlobe.

After a nominal approximately one-hour flight, the WorldView-2 spacecraft was successfully deployed into its proper orbit.
WorldView-2 was placed in a sun-synchronous orbit where the spacecraft will perform its mission of collecting high resolution commercial digital Earth imagery from space.

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“Congratulations to both DigitalGlobe and Boeing Launch Services for this tremendous launch success,” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Delta Product Line. “ULA appreciates the confidence that DigitalGlobe has shown in our Delta team by launching Worldview-2 and two prior missions on Delta II rockets.
Delta II has achieved a launch success record of nearly 99 percent, which is an incredible achievement and we are extremely proud to provide reliable and cost-effective launch services for our customers.”

This was ULA’s seventh Delta II launch of 2009 and 12th overall launch of the year. ULA began processing the Delta II launch vehicle in Decatur, Ala., two years ago. Hundreds of ULA employees worked to prepare the vehicle for the WorldView-2 mission.

For WorldView-2, the ULA Delta II 7920-10 configuration vehicle featured a first stage booster powered by a
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine
and nine Alliant Techsystems (ATK) strap-on solid rocket motors.
An Aerojet AJ10-118K engine powered the second stage. The payload was encased by a 10-foot-diameter payload fairing.

ULA’s next launch, currently scheduled for Oct. 18, is the DMSP-18 satellite for the U.S. Air Force aboard an Atlas V from Space Launch Complex-3 here.

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Nouveau tir réussi d'une Atlas depuis Vandenberg


VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Oct 18 /PRNewswire/ --

Adding to the Atlas rocket program's accomplished five decade legacy, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V successfully
launched the U.S. Air Force's Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F18 (DMSP F18) mission from Space Launch Complex-3 here at 9:12 a.m. PDT, today. The DMSP F18 spacecraft was built for the Air Force by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Sunnyvale, Calif.

This mission marked the 600th launch of an Atlas vehicle, carrying on a proud tradition that began with the first Atlas A rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., in 1957.
For the Atlas V, today's success was the 18th for the program, with a 100 percent mission success rate.
The inaugural launch for the latest Atlas V configuration occurred from CCAFS on Aug. 21, 2002.

"This is a proud moment in the 52 year history of the Atlas program and for United Launch Alliance," said Mark Wilkins, ULA vice president, Atlas Product Line.
"First, I want to thank our Air Force customer for trusting ULA to launch this important mission. I'd also like to recognize all the men and women who have served on the Atlas team since 1957. Their determination, dedication and
attention to detail have made this significant milestone possible. Combining our Atlas and Delta launch vehicle program's more than 100 years of experience gives ULA the most experienced space launch team in the world."

During the program's history, 315 launches have taken place from CCAFS with 285 missions, including today's launch, launching from Vandenberg. While the Atlas program has launched numerous important missions, it may be most famous for launching Mercury astronauts John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra and Gordon Cooper during the early days of human space flight. Atlas has also launched several Moon and planetary missions including the recent Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission on June 18.

This mission, designated AV-017, was launched aboard an Atlas V 401 configuration using the Common Core
Booster powered by the RD-180 engine. The 17 previous Atlas V launches included three missions each for the Air Force, NASA, and NRO along with eight for commercial customers.

ULA's next launch, currently scheduled for Nov. 14, is the Atlas V IntelSat-14 mission from Space Launch Complex-41 at CCAFS.

ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly, and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., Harlingen, Texas, San Diego, Calif., and Denver, Colo. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

SOURCE United Launch Alliance

PR Newswire


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Atlas V 401, LRO & LCROSS

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