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A United Launch
Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the AEHF-5 milcomsat for the U.S. Air Force is poised for twilight liftoff to GTO on Aug.
8, 2019 at 5:44 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station, Florida on a national security mission. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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Ken
Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com &
RocketSTEM – 7 August 2019
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – In what will be the second of two rare back to back launches from the Eastern range, the most powerful version of the venerable Atlas V rocket manufactured by rocket builder United Launch Alliance (ULA) is poised for overnight in twilight, Thursday, Aug.8, with the nuclear hardened AEHF-5 military communications satellite connecting commanders with troops in the field for the U.S. Air Force.
The launch weather outlook is good despite another day of awful torrential downpours and lightning strikes today, Aug. 7, which delayed some launch processing activities.
Launch of the ULA Atlas V carrying AEHF-5 is slated for a window that opens at 5:44 a.m. EDT (0944 GMT) EDT Thursday, Aug. 8 from seaside Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.
The rapid fire launches by SpaceX and ULA were
enabled after the Air Force and Eastern Range approved SpaceX’s last minute
request to insert their Falcon 9 launch just 36 hours ahead of the already
approved ULA Atlas V launch.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 did successfully launch on Aug. 6 as planned after a 30 minute weather delay. Read our story and photos.
Enjoy our Space UpClose launch pad view photos of the Atlas V rocket during our media camera setup opportunity this afternoon which was nearly scrubbed by the terrible weather and phase 2 lightning condition.
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – In what will be the second of two rare back to back launches from the Eastern range, the most powerful version of the venerable Atlas V rocket manufactured by rocket builder United Launch Alliance (ULA) is poised for overnight in twilight, Thursday, Aug.8, with the nuclear hardened AEHF-5 military communications satellite connecting commanders with troops in the field for the U.S. Air Force.
The launch weather outlook is good despite another day of awful torrential downpours and lightning strikes today, Aug. 7, which delayed some launch processing activities.
Launch of the ULA Atlas V carrying AEHF-5 is slated for a window that opens at 5:44 a.m. EDT (0944 GMT) EDT Thursday, Aug. 8 from seaside Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.
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Up close view of the RUAG space nose cone atop the ULA Atlas V rocket housing the AEHF-5 milcomsat for the U.S. Air Force is poised for twilight liftoff on Aug. 8, 2019
at 5:44 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,
Florida on a national security mission. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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The SpaceX Falcon 9 did successfully launch on Aug. 6 as planned after a 30 minute weather delay. Read our story and photos.
Enjoy our Space UpClose launch pad view photos of the Atlas V rocket during our media camera setup opportunity this afternoon which was nearly scrubbed by the terrible weather and phase 2 lightning condition.
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A United Launch
Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the AEHF-5 milcomsat for the U.S. Air Force is poised for twilight liftoff to GTO on Aug.
8, 2019 at 5:44 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station, Florida on a national security mission. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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The
cost of the Lockheed Martin built AEHF-5 satellite years in the making and
critical for U.S. national security and our troops is about $1.2 Billion
The prior satellite in the AEHF constellation
namely AEHF-4 launched on a ULA Atlas 551 vehicle in Oct. 2018. See our Space
UpClose photos.
AEHF-5 is the fifth in
line of a jam-resistant six-satellite constellation vital for U.S. National
Defense joining four others already in orbit.
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A United Launch
Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the AEHF-5 milcomsat for the U.S. Air Force is poised for twilight liftoff to GTO on Aug.
8, 2019 at 5:44 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station, Florida on a national security mission. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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The 551 configuration includes a LOX & RP-1 kerosene-fueled common core booster, a five-meter-diameter payload fairing built by RUAG Space, five first stage strap-on AJ-60A solid rocket motors and a single engine LOX & LH2 fueled Centaur upper stage.
The Atlas V will deliver AEHF-5 to
geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) on a specialized trajectory to minimize the
spacecrafts subsequent orbit adjusting maneuvers.
The 197-foot-tall (60 m) ULA Atlas V rocket journeyed 1,800 feet (1/3 mile) to pad 41 Tuesday morning Aug. 6 from 9 to 10 a.m. ET as I watch from a distance in Titusville. See our photos.
It was pushed by two trackmobiles from the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) to the Space Launch Complex 41 pad on the Florida Space Coast – just two hours after the SpaceX Falcon 9 was raised at adjacent pad 40 just about 1.5 miles away.
ULA plans live countdown updates at their countdown page starting Wednesday evening
The 197-foot-tall (60 m) ULA Atlas V rocket journeyed 1,800 feet (1/3 mile) to pad 41 Tuesday morning Aug. 6 from 9 to 10 a.m. ET as I watch from a distance in Titusville. See our photos.
It was pushed by two trackmobiles from the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) to the Space Launch Complex 41 pad on the Florida Space Coast – just two hours after the SpaceX Falcon 9 was raised at adjacent pad 40 just about 1.5 miles away.
ULA plans live countdown updates at their countdown page starting Wednesday evening
The live ULA webcast of Thursday’s launch begins
at 5:24 a.m. EDT about 20 minutes before planned liftoff and will be viewable
on the ULA Home Page.
The ULA Webcast is available at: www.ulalaunch.com and www.youtube.com/unitedlaunchalliance
The launch countdown will begin today.
If all goes well liftoff happens nearly seven hours later just before dawn at 5:44 a.m. EDT (0944 GMT) EDT Thursday, Aug. 8.
The launch window extends for two hours until 7:44 a.m. EDT (1144 GMT).
The weather forecast is currently quite good with an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time.
The ULA Webcast is available at: www.ulalaunch.com and www.youtube.com/unitedlaunchalliance
The launch countdown will begin today.
If all goes well liftoff happens nearly seven hours later just before dawn at 5:44 a.m. EDT (0944 GMT) EDT Thursday, Aug. 8.
The launch window extends for two hours until 7:44 a.m. EDT (1144 GMT).
The weather forecast is currently quite good with an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time.
AEHF-5 is the fifth communications satellite in the Advanced
Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) series for U.S. Air Force Space Command.
AEHF-5 counts as the newest and most advanced US Air Force jam-resistant protected military communications satellite, and will play a vital role in U.S. national security.
AEHF provides survivable, global, highly secure, protected, and jam-resistant communications for high-priority military ground, sea, and air assets, between U.S. national leadership [meaning the President] and deployed military forces, says USAF Space Command.
The AEHF constellation “provides 10 times the throughput and a substantial increase in coverage compared to the 1990s-era Milstar satellites” that it replaces and are currently in orbit.
The satellite was built by prime contractor Lockheed Martin at the satellite integration facility in Sunnyvale, California, based on the A 2100 series communications satellite spacecraft model and has a mass of some 6100 kg (13600 pounds).
This will be 134th mission for ULA since the company was founded in 2006 and the 50th launch for the Air Force. It is the 80th for an Atlas V rocket and the 10th in the 551 configuration.
Atlas V rockets successfully launched the first four AEHF satellites in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2018.
AEHF-5 counts as the newest and most advanced US Air Force jam-resistant protected military communications satellite, and will play a vital role in U.S. national security.
AEHF provides survivable, global, highly secure, protected, and jam-resistant communications for high-priority military ground, sea, and air assets, between U.S. national leadership [meaning the President] and deployed military forces, says USAF Space Command.
The AEHF constellation “provides 10 times the throughput and a substantial increase in coverage compared to the 1990s-era Milstar satellites” that it replaces and are currently in orbit.
The satellite was built by prime contractor Lockheed Martin at the satellite integration facility in Sunnyvale, California, based on the A 2100 series communications satellite spacecraft model and has a mass of some 6100 kg (13600 pounds).
This will be 134th mission for ULA since the company was founded in 2006 and the 50th launch for the Air Force. It is the 80th for an Atlas V rocket and the 10th in the 551 configuration.
Atlas V rockets successfully launched the first four AEHF satellites in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2018.
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Dr Ken Kremer/Space UpClose interview with Spectrum News 13
about SpaceX AMOS-17 and ULA AEHF-5 back to back launches Aug. 6 and 8, 2019.
Screenshot: Ken Kremer/Spectrum 13
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Ken will be onsite at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for live reporting of the ULA AEHF-5 mission launch.
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
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Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Ken’s upcoming outreach events:
Aug 7/8: Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL, evenings. Learn more about the upcoming/recent SpaceX AMOS-17, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-18 launch to ISS, NASA Orion Ascent-2 Abort test Falcon Heavy, NASA 2024 Moon landing goal, SpaceX Starlink-1, SpaceX Demo-1 launch/test failure, SpaceX Beresheet launch, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, Northrop Grumman Antares, SpySats and more
Ken will display his photos for sale
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Ken’s upcoming outreach events:
Aug 7/8: Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL, evenings. Learn more about the upcoming/recent SpaceX AMOS-17, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-18 launch to ISS, NASA Orion Ascent-2 Abort test Falcon Heavy, NASA 2024 Moon landing goal, SpaceX Starlink-1, SpaceX Demo-1 launch/test failure, SpaceX Beresheet launch, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, Northrop Grumman Antares, SpySats and more
Ken will display his photos for sale
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Artists concept of AEHF satellites in orbit. Credit:
Lockheed Martin
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