GPS IIF-2 = Delta IV-M+(4,2)- 16.07.11 10:41 ЛМВ -Canaveral

[Salo]

0658 GMT (2:58 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 17 minutes, 20 seconds. The vehicle is now in a coast mode before the next firing of the upper stage engine. Ignition of the RL10 engine is now four minutes away.

0656 GMT (2:56 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 15 minutes. Delta has flown into a parking orbit with an apogee of 216 nautical miles, perigee of 100 nautical miles and inclination of 41.6 degrees.

0653 GMT (2:53 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 12 minutes, 45 seconds. Delta is 168 miles in altitude, 1,819 miles downrange from the launch pad, traveling at 25,294 feet per second.

0653 GMT (2:53 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 12 minutes, 17 seconds. SECO 1. The upper stage engine has shut down after the first of three planned firings to inject the GPS spacecraft into navigation network today.

0652 GMT (2:52 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 11 minutes, 40 seconds. Delta is 172.1 miles in altitude, 1,576 miles downrange from the launch pad, traveling at 24,400 feet per second.

0651 GMT (2:51 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 10 minutes, 50 seconds. The upper stage's the RL10 engine working well, still firing as planned to reach a low-altitude parking orbit.

0651 GMT (2:51 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 10 minutes, 30 seconds. The vehicle's steep climb has leveled off as it gains speed toward orbital velocity.

0651 GMT (2:51 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 10 minutes. Delta is 170 miles in altitude, 1,241 miles downrange from the launch pad, traveling at 22,581 feet per second.

0650 GMT (2:50 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 9 minutes, 20 seconds. About three minutes remain in this firing of the upper stage to place the vehicle into an initial parking orbit around Earth.

0650 GMT (2:50 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 9 minutes, 15 seconds. The RL10 engine is burning a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen cryogenic propellants. Chamber pressures still look good.

0649 GMT (2:49 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 8 minutes, 30 seconds. Delta is 160 miles in altitude, 951 miles downrange from the launch pad, traveling at 21,072 feet per second.

0648 GMT (2:48 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 7 minutes, 55 seconds. Good pitch and yaw controls on the upper stage engine.

0648 GMT (2:48 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 7 minutes, 25 seconds. Delta is 144.5 miles in altitude, 723 miles east of the launch pad, traveling at 19,937 feet per second.

0648 GMT (2:48 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 7 minutes. First stage flight events occurred very close to planned times.

0647 GMT (2:47 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 6 minutes, 40 seconds. Rock steady chamber pressure on the upper stage engine.

0647 GMT (2:47 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 6 minutes, 5 seconds. Delta is 122.8 miles in altitude, 522 miles east of the launch pad.

0646 GMT (2:46 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 5 minutes, 25 seconds. Good chamber pressure data being reported from the RL10 engine as it thrusts to reach orbit.

0646 GMT (2:46 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 5 minutes. Delta is 97.1 miles in altitude, 350 miles downrange from the launch pad.

0645 GMT (2:45 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 4 minutes, 42 seconds. The protective payload fairing enclosing the GPS satellite atop the rocket has separated.

0645 GMT (2:45 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 4 minutes, 30 seconds. The cryogenic RL10B-2 upper stage engine has ignited!

0645 GMT (2:45 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 4 minutes, 15 seconds. The Common Booster Core first stage and the attached interstage have been separated in one piece from the Delta 4's upper stage. The upper stage engine's extendible nozzle is dropping into position.

0645 GMT (2:45 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 4 minutes, 9 seconds. MECO! Main engine cutoff confirmed as the RS-68 powerplant shuts down.

0645 GMT (2:45 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 4 minutes. The main engine is throttling down to 57 percent thrust in preparation for shutdown.

0644 GMT (2:44 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 minutes, 35 seconds. Delta is 53.7 miles in altitude, 129 miles downrange from the launch pad.

0644 GMT (2:44 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 minutes, 25 seconds. Good pitch and yaw controls on the main engine.

0644 GMT (2:44 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 minutes, 15 seconds. The main engine continues to perform well, consuming its liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.

0643 GMT (2:43 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 2 minutes, 45 seconds. Passing Mach 7.

0643 GMT (2:43 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The RS-68 is consuming nearly a ton of propellants per second as the powerplant pushes the Delta 4 rocket closer to the edge of space.

0643 GMT (2:43 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 2 minutes, 15 seconds. Delta is 26.5 miles in altitude, 31.9 miles downrange from the launch pad.

0642 GMT (2:42 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 1 minute, 42 seconds. Solid motor separation! The spent boosters have been shed from the first stage. Delta 4 continues powering its way toward space on the thrust generated by the RS-68 main engine.

0642 GMT (2:42 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 1 minute, 35 seconds. The twin solid rocket boosters have burned out of their propellant. Standing by for jettison.

0642 GMT (2:42 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 60 seconds. Now passing through the region of maximum aerodynamic pressure as the vehicle accelerates through the lower atmosphere.

0641 GMT (2:41 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 50 seconds. The launcher has broken through the sound barrier.

0641 GMT (2:41 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 30 seconds. The Delta 4 rocket is climbing away from Cape Canaveral with its main engine firing at full throttle and the two strap-on boosters giving a powerful extra kick.

0641 GMT (2:41 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 10, 9, 8, sequencer now controlling, T-minus 6, 5, main engine start, 3, 2, 1, SRB ignition and LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the Delta 4 rocket, building the future foundation of the Global Positioning System![/size]

[Salo]

Второе включения RL10.

[Salo]

0705 GMT (3:05 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 24 minutes, 43 seconds. SECO 2. The second of three firings by the upper stage during tonight's launch has been completed.

0705 GMT (3:05 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 24 minutes. This burn injects the rocket into a highly elliptical orbit stretching out to the GPS constellation at its furthest point.

0704 GMT (3:04 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 23 minutes, 30 seconds. About one minute left in this burn by the Delta 4 rocket's upper stage.

0703 GMT (3:03 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 22 minutes, 45 seconds. Engine chamber pressure, pitch and yaw control, all looking good.

0703 GMT (3:03 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 22 minutes. This burn will last just over three minutes in duration.

0702 GMT (3:02 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 21 minutes, 45 seconds. Good chamber pressure reported as the engine gets up and running.

0702 GMT (3:02 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 21 minutes, 24 seconds. Ignition! The RL10B-2 engine, fed by liquid hydrogen liquid oxygen, has been reignited to propel GPS 2F-2 into an intermediate orbit. [/size]

[Salo]

Осталось дождаться третьего включения.

[Alex D]

Вышли на орбиту с целевым апогеем (11000х130 морских миль). Следующее включение в апогее будет?

[Salo]

А як жеж:

0711 GMT (3:11 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 30 minutes. The rocket has just entered a two-hour, 56-minute coast period before the final engine burn to deliver GPS 2F-2 into the desired circular orbit to join the navigation network.[/size]

[X]

http://rutube.ru/tracks/4634862.html

[Salo]

0911 GMT (5:11 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 2 hours, 30 minutes. The rocket is soaring away from Earth in its current egg-shaped orbit. The upcoming engine firing at 6:01 a.m. EDT will occur as the rocket nears apogee. The burn lasts 99 seconds and puts the spacecraft into an 11,045 nautical mile circular orbit inclined 55 degrees to the equator.

Deployment of GPS 2F-2 from rocket to complete the launch is expected at 6:14 a.m. EDT.

0841 GMT (4:41 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 2 hour. The upper stage has completed one passive roll program and just started another. This one will continue until it's almost time for the next burn. The maneuvers ensure the thermal conditions are distributed across the vehicle.

0821 GMT (4:21 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 100 minutes. Unlike the previous generations that rode on smaller rocket Delta 2 rockets, the dozen next-generation GPS 2F craft will be delivered into orbit atop the Delta 4 and Atlas 5 fleets of boosters in the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program.

The Delta 2's, although highly reliable, weren't powerful enough to inject the GPS satellites directly into the orbiting constellation. The three-stage vehicles released the craft into a highly elliptical orbit stretching from 100 miles at its closest point with Earth to some 11,000 miles at its highest point, which is the altitude where the GPS network resides. The newly-launched satellites were themselves fitted with a solid-fuel kick motor that ignited a few days into flight and finished the job of propelling the craft into a circular orbit.

United Launch Alliance's powerful Delta 4 and Atlas 5 rockets will haul the GPS 2F satellites directly to their desired destinations, bypassing the circuitous route of the past. So instead of taking days to reach the GPS orbit, the new 2F-2 satellite will get there in three-and-a-half hours today.

0746 GMT (3:46 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 65 minutes. To recap, the Delta 4 rocket carrying the GPS 2F-2 navigation satellite launched from Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 at 2:41 a.m. EDT after a flawless countdown and some welcomed cooperation by the weather.

All appeared to go smoothly during the ascent and no problems were reported by the telemetry folks as the vehicle flew to its measured waypoints en route to orbit.

The rocket is now coasting toward a point about 11,000 nautical miles above the planet where the third and final burn is planned at T+plus 3 hours and 20 minutes.[/size]

[Salo]

0941 GMT (5:41 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours. Now 20 minutes away from engine re-start on the upper stage. In preparation for that event, the rocket will complete the BBQ thermal roll and begin maneuvering itself into the proper orientation for ignition. Then, the stage will start a system chilldown with cryogenic fuel and use its tiny thrusters to settle the propellants in the tanks before firing the engine.

Ignition occurs at T+plus 3 hours, 20 minutes for a 99-second firing. Spacecraft separation happens at T+plus 3 hours, 33 minutes.[/size]

[Salo]

1040 GMT (6:40 a.m. EDT)
"Congratulations to the entire team on the successful launch of the GPS 2F-2 satellite," said Jim Sponnick, United Launch Alliance's vice president of mission operations. "Today's one-at-a-time launch represents the 50th successful GPS launch on a Delta launch vehicle. We are proud to have served alongside the government and contractor teams over the last two decades in successfully launching GPS missions for the U.S. Air Force and providing important capabilities for our national defense and for millions of civilian and commercial users around the world."

1018 GMT (6:18 a.m. EDT)
"I am extremely proud of the tremendous efforts that hundreds of people on the launch team have expended for today's launch. I would like to thank United Launch Alliance, Boeing, my launch vehicle team from SMC's Launch and Range Systems Directorate and a host of others for their dedication to mission success," Col. Bob Hodgkiss, the GPS 2F-2 mission director, said in a post-launch press release.

1016 GMT (6:16 a.m. EDT)
"I'm extremely pleased with today's successful launch; the GPS system's overall navigational accuracy will improve as more GPS 2F space vehicles are put into service," Col. Bernie Gruber, director of SMC's Global Positioning Systems Directorate, said in a post-launch press release. "The improved accuracy, reliability and security of the GPS system ensure that the Air Force will continue to meet its navigation and timing commitments to GPS users around the world."

1014 GMT (6:14 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 33 minutes, 11 seconds. SPACECRAFT SEPARATION! The newest satellite for the Global Positioning System has been deployed into orbit from the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket's upper stage, completing today's successful ascent.

The 3,400-pound spacecraft, built by The Boeing Company, is a next generation navigation satellite that will be bring new advancements to the orbiting constellation. It should be ready for use in a month.

1012 GMT (6:12 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 31 minutes. Just two minutes away from casting GPS 2F-2 free from its launcher.

1011 GMT (6:11 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 30 minutes. The rocket has achieved the correct roll rate as planned.

1010 GMT (6:10 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 29 minutes. Spin-up of the rocket stage has started in preparation for releasing GPS 2F-2 about four minutes from now.

1008 GMT (6:08 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 27 minutes. The upper stage is reorienting itself into the proper attitude for release of the satellite.

1003 GMT (6:03 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 22 minutes, 29 seconds. Final burn complete! The RL10B-2 motor fired back to life for the third of three burns to send the GPS 2F-2 spacecraft into the proper orbit for the navigation network.

1002 GMT (6:02 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 21 minutes, 40 seconds. Good burn in progress as the vehicle flies at 10,000 feet per second.

1002 GMT (6:02 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 21 minutes, 10 seconds. Engine chamber pressure is right on target.

1001 GMT (6:01 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 20 minutes, 53 seconds. Ignition! The upper stage if firing once again. This burn will last approximately 99 seconds in duration.

1000 GMT (6:00 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 19 minutes. The upper stage of the Delta 4 rocket is nearing the end of its long coast upward away from Earth. The motor is preparing to burn its engine one more time to propel GPS 2F-2 the rest of the way into orbit.

0958 GMT (5:58 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 hours, 17 minutes. The vehicle is 11,037 miles in altitude within view of the Guam and Diego Garcia tracking stations. [/size]

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d355/launch/

[Salo]

http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/PhotoGallery/Photo_gallery.shtml

[Salo]

First signals from GPS IIF-2[/size]

 Posted by Michael Mecham at 7/16/2011 9:09 AM CDT

Boeing received the first on-orbit signals at 6:14 a.m. EDT from the second of 12 Global Positioning System satellites it is building for the U.S. Air Force following a 2:41 a.m. launch from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla.

The signals mean that GPS IIF-2 is functioning normally and is ready to begin on-orbit maneuvers and operational testing under the direction of the Air Force GAPS Directorate.

Boeing expects to officially turn over operation of the spacecraft, which has been renamed SVN-63, to the Air Force 50th Space Wing and the 2nd Space Operations Squadron this fall.

The spacecraft was lifted into orbit by a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium+ rocket flying for the eighth time in a 4-2 configuration. Its single Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 first stage engine was supplemented by two Alliant Techsystems strap-on solid rocket motors. The four-meter upper stage used a PWR RL10B-2 engine.

The first of the GPS IIF series was launched May 27, 2010. Each of the 12 are expected to have 12-year life spans.

The GPS IIF series continues the tradition of combined civil and military global positioning system satellite coverage but with greater navigational accuracy through improved atomic clock technology, a new civilian L-5 signal to aid commercial aviation and search and rescue operations, better resistance to jamming, and an on-orbit reprogrammable processor.[/size]

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/

Newly launched GPS satellite goes into service[/size]
The nation's newest Global Positioning System satellite has completed its post-launch checkout and entered service in the orbiting constellation. [/size]

[instml]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=25589.msg819185#msg819185

GPS IIF-2 (SVN63) developed a problem with its cesium atomic frequency standard so the system operators activated an alternate rubidium standard.  The satellite was finally set usable.

[instml]

GPS Satellite Achieves 20 Years On-orbit

6/30/2011 - LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.  -- GPS Block IIA-11 (SVN-24), built by Boeing (formerly Rockwell Corporation), was launched on July 4, 1991 and set healthy to navigation and timing users on Aug. 31, 1991. SVN-24 will reach 20 years on-orbit on July 4. SVN-24 was the second space vehicle in the series of the GPS IIA satellites to be launched with a design life of 7

[instml]

На диаграмме показаны значения ошибки SIS (Signal In Space) для отдельных спутников созвездия GPS на 1 ноября 2011 года. Эта величина зависит от двух параметров - точности работы часов на борту спутника и от его способности поддерживать нужную орбиту.

Спутник GPS IIF-2 излучает сигнал PRN01. GPS IIF-1 - сигнал PRN25. Видно что первый спутник поколения IIF в несколько раз точнее второго. Интересно, что спутник GPS IIA-10 (сигнал PRN32), запущенный в ноябре 1990 года, работает лучше новейшего спутника. Возможно, настройка нового спутника все еще продолжается.

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=25589.msg825746#msg825746