Cosmic Penguin
Geek Penguin in GTO
The Atlas V triplet of October 2015 continues today with its 3rd flight in 29 days - a new record for the teenage rocket and almost coming close to the flight rate of the Delta II in its heydays!
Like 4 of its previous flights, this one will carry another replacement satellite for our beloved Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS IIF-11 is the 11th of 12 block IIF satellites built to replace the initial block II satellites launched in the early 1990s that built up the GPS as we know today.
This new GPS satellite, numbered SVN73 (SVN = Space Vehicle Number), will head for plane E, slot 2 to replace GPS IIR-10 (SVN47, launched December 2003), which in turn will move to another slot in the E plane. GPS IIA-14 (SVN34), launched way back in 1993, will be removed from service after 22 years in space, leaving one final block IIA satellite (a 1990 vintage one!) in active service after IIF-11 becomes operational.
Have a good flight!
|
{colsp=2}
|
{colsp=1}
Launch coverage: (starts 11:53 am EDT / 15:53 UTC)
Payload:
Launch Vehicle:
The Atlas 5 was developed by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services as part of the US Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. Each Atlas 5 rocket uses a Russian-built RD-180 engine burning kerosene and liquid oxygen to power its first stage and an American-built RL10 engine burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to power its Centaur upper stage.
The Atlas 5 launcher will fly in the so-called 401 configuration, denoting a 4-meter payload fairing, no strap-on solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage.
{colsp=2}
The vehicle's reliability statistics according to http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/log2015.html#rate:
Launch Timeline & Ground Track:
Weather forecast for Titusville, Florida on October 31, 2015 (12 p.m.)
Mostly sunny. High 29C. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 km/h.
Time|Temps|Dew Point|Relative Humidity|Precip|Snow|Cloud cover|Pressure|Wind|Weather
12 PM|27°C|19°C|62%|0%|0%|35%|1019 hPa|11 km/h E|
Partly Cloudy
Links:
Like 4 of its previous flights, this one will carry another replacement satellite for our beloved Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS IIF-11 is the 11th of 12 block IIF satellites built to replace the initial block II satellites launched in the early 1990s that built up the GPS as we know today.
This new GPS satellite, numbered SVN73 (SVN = Space Vehicle Number), will head for plane E, slot 2 to replace GPS IIR-10 (SVN47, launched December 2003), which in turn will move to another slot in the E plane. GPS IIA-14 (SVN34), launched way back in 1993, will be removed from service after 22 years in space, leaving one final block IIA satellite (a 1990 vintage one!) in active service after IIF-11 becomes operational.
Have a good flight!
|
Launch date:
|
October 31, 2015
Window open:
|
16:13 UTC / 12:13 p.m. EDT
Window close:
|
16:32 UTC / 12:32 p.m. EDT
Launch site:
|
SLC-41, CCAFS, Florida
{colsp=2}
[highlight]L[eventtimer]2015-10-31 16:13:00;%c%%ddd%/%hh%:%mm%:%ss%[/eventtimer][/highlight]
Mission Insignia
Launch coverage: (starts 11:53 am EDT / 15:53 UTC)
- ULA webcast: http://www.ulalaunch.com/webcast.aspx
- ULA webcast 2: http://cmc-i.akamaihd.net/hls/live/201845/launch/index-launch.m3u8
- Spaceflight Now: http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/10/29/av-060-journal/
Payload:
GPS-2F (Global Positioning System) or Navstar-2F (Navigation System using Timing And Ranging) satellites are the fourth evolution stage of the second generation of the GPS satellites. Improvements included an extended design life of 12 years, faster processors with more memory, and a new civil signal on a third frequency.
{colsp=2}
Operator:|
Contractors:|
Equipment:|
Configuration:|
Dimensions:|
Propulsion:|
Power:|
Launch Weight:|
On-orbit Weight:|
Orbit:|
Specifications
Type / Application:
|
- Navigation
Operator:|
- USAF
Contractors:|
- Boeing
Equipment:|
- 2 Rubidium clocks
- 1 Cesium clock
Configuration:|
- ?
Dimensions:|
- 8.17 ft x 6.67 ft x 7.33 ft (stowed)
Propulsion:|
- ?
Power:|
- 2 deployable solar arrays
- batteries
- 1900 watts (end of life)
Launch Weight:|
- 1630 kg (3590 lb) - max wet weight at launch
On-orbit Weight:|
- 1466 kg (3230 lb) - initial on-orbit estimated wet weight
Orbit:|
- 20200 * 20200 km, 55° inc.)
Launch Vehicle:
The Atlas 5 was developed by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services as part of the US Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. Each Atlas 5 rocket uses a Russian-built RD-180 engine burning kerosene and liquid oxygen to power its first stage and an American-built RL10 engine burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to power its Centaur upper stage.
The Atlas 5 launcher will fly in the so-called 401 configuration, denoting a 4-meter payload fairing, no strap-on solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage.
Specifications
Gross mass:
|
- 338640 kg (746570 lb)
Payload:
|
- 7095 kg (15641 lb) SSO
- 4950 kg (10910 lb) GTO
Height:
|
- 58.30 m (191.20 ft)
Diameter:
|
- 3.81 m (12.49 ft)
Span:
|
- 3.81 m (12.49 ft)
Thrust:
|
- 3827.00 kN (860343 lbf)
The vehicle's reliability statistics according to http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/log2015.html#rate:
Code:
================================================================
Vehicle Successes/Tries Realzd Pred Consc. Last Dates
Rate Rate* Succes Fail
================================================================
Atlas 5 57 58 .98 .97 48 6/15/07 2002-Launch Timeline & Ground Track:
Weather forecast for Titusville, Florida on October 31, 2015 (12 p.m.)
Mostly sunny. High 29C. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 km/h.
12 PM|27°C|19°C|62%|0%|0%|35%|1019 hPa|11 km/h E|
Links:
- GPS block IIF
- GPS IIF (Global Positioning System)
- Spaceflight Now: Preview: Atlas 5 rocket goes for its third launch of October
