CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.– An Atlas V rocket lit up the predawn sky over Florida early Tuesday (Dec. 7) to release an unique NASA laser space interactions satellite into orbit along with a host of other payloads for the U.S. Space Force.The two-stage Atlas V rocket blasted off from Space Launch Complex 41 here at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:19 a.m. EST (1019 GMT), as part of a mission called STP-3 (Space Test Program-3). The effective liftoff came more than an hour after the objectives planned launch time due to high upper level winds, and after days of hold-ups due to a fuel leak at the launch pad.The United Launch Alliance Atlas V soared into orbit with the aid of 5 solid rocket boosters. (Image credit: United Launch Alliance) Tuesdays launch comes on the heels of SpaceXs 27th rocket launch of the year, which blasted off from a surrounding pad on Thursday night (Dec. 2) and provided 50 satellites to orbit, consisting of 48 of the businesss own Starlink internet satellites.It also is the very first of an early morning launch doubleheader here on the Space Coast. In addition to those launches, Russias space company Roscosmos will release 2 Japanese space travelers (billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and his video manufacturer Yozo Hirano) to the International Space Station with cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin on a 12-day spaceflight. That objective will release Thursday from Blue Origins launch website near Van Horn, Texas.Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.– An Atlas V rocket illuminated the predawn sky over Florida early Tuesday (Dec. 7) to launch an unique NASA laser space communications satellite into orbit together with a host of other payloads for the U.S. Space Force.The two-stage Atlas V rocket blasted off from Space Launch Complex 41 here at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:19 a.m. EST (1019 GMT), as part of a mission called STP-3 (Space Test Program-3). The effective liftoff came more than an hour after the missions prepared launch time due to high upper level winds, and after days of hold-ups due to a fuel leakage at the launch pad.The United Launch Alliance Atlas V soared into orbit with the aid of five strong rocket boosters. Onlookers were dealt with to stunning views of the rocket as it raced through the environment. Related: The history of rocketsA United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket bring NASAs Laser Communication Relay Demonstration instrument launches on the (Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky) The 196-foot-tall (59.7 meters) Atlas V introduced in its most significant setup: the 551. This means that the rocket was powered by 5 strap-on solid rocket motors, a single-engine Centaur upper stage, and its payload is tucked inside a 16.4-foot-wide (5 m) fairing.This version of the Atlas V has actually now flown a dozen times for many years, carrying a range of payloads consisting of NASAs Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers, as well as a host of satellites for the Department of Defense, and more.Tuesdays flight marks the 90th flight of an Atlas V rocket because the formation of ULA in 2002. (The company is a joint endeavor in between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.) It also marks the 672nd total flight of an Atlas family rocket since its launching in the 1950s. Tucked inside the payload fairing are two satellites, each consisting of a host of technological models and experiments that will be tested in orbit. Sponsored by the U.S. militarys Space Test Program– a department committed to overseeing the Department of Defenses space-related activities– many of the payloads onboard are classified, however they are resting on a brand-new platform created for long-duraton flight. Known as LDPE-1 (short for Long Duration Propulsive Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adapter 1), the vehicle is created to host payloads in orbit for up to three years. We do understand a few information about some of the other payloads on board, including a novel laser communication payload for NASA.Called Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), the experimental satellite will help NASA send information throughout space as the agency plans to make a return to the moon in the next few years. Presently, the agency depends on communications techniques that rely on radio frequencies, but the lasers are significantly more effective, agency authorities have said.The experiment is riding on the STPSat-6 satellite, which likewise includes the NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph mission to study the origin of solar particles from the sun.An artists impression of NASAs Laser Communications Relay Demonstration objective communicating data from the International Space Station to Earth. (Image credit: Dave Ryan/NASA)” Its a gamechanger for expedition and science,” stated Glenn Jackson, NASAs project supervisor for the LCRD mission.” [Optical communications] to decrease the weight of interactions systems, reduce the power use and we get 10 to 100 times the bandwidth capability. Thats a big gamechanger for those individuals planning objectives and preparing yourself for an existence at the moon and exploring Mars.” Also on board is a payload for the National Nuclear Security Administration that is created to discover nuclear detonations from area, in addition to a new type of space-based propulsion system that will be evaluated in orbit. Tuesday mornings flight was anticipated to put the Atlas V to the test as it is arranged to set an endurance record for the launcher. The two satellites on board will be deposited into a geosynchronous orbit sailing approximately 22,000 miles over the equator. To that end, the Atlas Vs Centaur upper phase (which is moved by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engine) will take six-and-a-half hours to perform 3 burns in order to reach the target orbit.STPSat-6 of the Department of Defense carries NASAs Laser Communications Relay Demonstration instrument. (Image credit: NASA)” This is a highly intricate orbital insertion that requires 3 Centaur burns and precise navigation, a capability special to the Atlas V,” Gary Wentz, ULAs vice president of federal government and industrial programs stated in a declaration. “This is our longest objective to date at 7 hours and 10 minutes until last spacecraft separation.” Typically, satellites that are heading to a similar orbit are dropped into an oval-shaped transfer orbit and maneuver themselves to their last orbit. Todays launch will set a record for the Atlas V and its Centaur upper phase as it presses the limits of Centaurs capability. The rockets very first phase, which features a kerosene-powered RD-180 engine, will supply the majority of the thrust in addition to the 5 boosters. Together they will load 2.6 million pounds of thrust to get the Atlas off the pad. The flight likewise includes three brand-new upgrades to the Atlas V rocket– new payload fairings, an in-flight power system, and boosted GPS navigation system– which will be evaluated in advance of flying on the upcoming Vulcan Centaur rocket. (The next-generation launcher is scheduled to start flying at some point next year, and will change the Atlas V.) ULA hopes that by testing these brand-new functions on Atlas, they will see how they carry out in-flight and have a better understanding of the hardware prior to it debuts on a brand brand-new rocket. An artists illustration of the LDPE-1 long-duration payload experiment platform released on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASAs Laser Communications Relay Demonstration satellite on Dec. 7, 2021. (Image credit: United Launch Alliance) Tuesdays launch comes on the heels of SpaceXs 27th rocket launch of the year, which blasted off from an adjacent pad on Thursday night (Dec. 2) and delivered 50 satellites to orbit, consisting of 48 of the businesss own Starlink web satellites.It also is the first of a morning launch doubleheader here on the Space Coast. On Thursday early morning (Dec. 9), just under 48-hours after the Atlas Vs launch, another SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will take to the skies, this time bring with it a space observatory for NASA. That mission will launch NASAs Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) at 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT) on Thursday to assist astronomers better understand the polarization of cosmic light, and X-rays produced from great voids and neutron stars. In addition to those launches, Russias space agency Roscosmos will introduce two Japanese area tourists (billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and his video producer Yozo Hirano) to the International Space Station with cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin on a 12-day spaceflight. That objective takes off Wednesday (Dec. 8) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.Also introducing today is Blue Origins suborbital New Shepard NS-19 area tourist mission, which will fly 6 individuals– consisting of Good Morning America host Michael Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest child of very first American in area Alan Shepard– on a short journey to area. That objective will introduce Thursday from Blue Origins launch website near Van Horn, Texas.Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook..