An Alabama-built United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the GOES-T spacecraft for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA lifted off today from Cape Canaveral. To date, ULA has launched 149 times with 100% mission success.
“Thank you to NASA, NOAA and our mission partners for your teamwork to launch this important mission. This successful launch adds to the GOES-R series, the Western Hemisphere’s most sophisticated weather observation and environmental monitoring system,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “The Atlas V delivered GOES-T directly to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The orbital delivery accurately placed the spacecraft closer to its final destination which conserves the satellite’s fuel supply and enables a longer mission life.”
The mission launched on an Atlas V 541 configuration rocket, which first flew in November 2011 with NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover. This configuration has launched missions for the National Reconnaissance Office, carried the GOES-R and -S satellites into space, and most recently launched the Mars 2020 mission with the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter.
The Atlas V 541 included a 17-ft (5-m) diameter short payload fairing. The Atlas booster for this mission was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne provided the RL10C-1 engine for the Centaur upper stage and Northrop Grumman provided the Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM) 63 solid rocket boosters.
This was the 92nd launch of an Atlas V rocket and 22nd mission launched on an Atlas V in partnership with NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP). ULA’s next launch is USSF-12 for the U.S. Space Force from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
Leveraging a legacy of 100% mission success to explore, protect and enhance our world, ULA is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider with world-leading reliability, schedule confidence, and mission optimization.
For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com.
(Courtesy of United Launch Alliance)
