NROL-61: Quasar (TBD) - Atlas V 421 (AV-065) - Канаверал SLC-41 - 28.07.2016 12:37 UTC

Автор Salo, 03.05.2016 13:41:22

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Salo

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/05/03/new-lineup-plan-spelled-out-for-upcoming-atlas-5-rocket-launches/
ЦитироватьFollowing MUOS 5, the subsequent launch will be the National Reconnaissance Office's classified NROL-61 payload riding to orbit atop an Atlas 5 rocket in the 421 configuration with a pair of solids.
Liftoff is targeted for July 29.
Nothing has been revealed about the payload's mission or orbital destination, and educated speculation has been difficult. A dozen NRO launches have flown aboard Atlas 5 vehicles thus far, but none have used this particular version of the rocket.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"


Безумный Шляпник

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:
Какая няша  :)

Няша-то может и няша, но это же не "Атлас"-овский ГО. Это точно от этого запуска?

Apollo13

ЦитироватьБезумный Шляпник пишет:
Няша-то может и няша, но это же не "Атлас"-овский ГО.
На НСФ тоже на эту тему фантазируют

ЦитироватьБезумный Шляпник пишет:
Это точно от этого запуска?

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=39220.0

Apollo13

Атлас-421 легко узнаваем и кажется впервые используется NRO.


Salo

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/10/mystery-payload-for-spy-satellite-agency-launching-aboard-next-atlas-5/
ЦитироватьMystery payload for spy satellite agency launching aboard next Atlas 5             
 July 10, 2016 Justin Ray
 
The NROL-61 poster. Credit: United Launch Alliance

CAPE CANAVERAL — United Launch Alliance is preparing an Atlas 5 rocket to boost an undercover satellite into orbit for national security later this month.
Details are scarce and informed speculation is nonexistent in the lead up to launching the clandestine NROL-61 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
Liftoff is scheduled for July 28 during a four-hour unclassified launch period of 8 a.m. to 12 noon EDT (1200-1600 GMT).
Stacking of the rocket began Friday, July 8.
Satellite-deployments for the NRO are a mainstay in the U.S. launch industry as the agency sends up fresh replacements for its constellations of imaging, eavesdropping, surveillance and data-relay spacecraft.
This will be the 45th launch for the NRO in the past 20 years.
Although the NRO never discloses details about its operational satellites or the missions they will perform in orbit, experts who track the launches invariably figure out ahead of time what kind of payload is going up.
Repeat launches using the same variant of rocket time and again is one of the easiest clue to solving the mystery of a given NRO flight.
But NROL-61 is unique. Never before has the NRO used an Atlas 5 rocket in its 421 configuration with a four-meter-wide payload shroud and two solid rocket boosters.
That indicates something new — either a new generation that advances an existing type of NRO spacecraft or else something completely different from current methodologies.
"Inconclusive," said Ted Molczan, a respected expert in satellite observing. "Looks like we will have to wait for the NOTAM coordinates."
 
The NROL-61 mission patch. Credit: NRO

Understanding what NROL-61 will require the experts to wait for the NOTAMs — notices sent to airmen a few days before liftoff detailing hazard areas for the launch that will depict the rocket's trajectory, thereby narrowing the list of possible payload candidates.
"If headed northeastward, then probably SDS/Quasar. If due east, then apparently some new type or model of GEO sat," Molczan said.
Since this Atlas 5 is on the low-end of payload capacity scale, a data-relay satellite going into a highly elliptical, highly inclined Molniya-type orbit currently used by such NRO spacecraft or a bird for similar uses headed for geosynchronous transfer orbit are hypothetical possibilities.
Today's NRO communications craft that route transmissions from polar-orbiting imagery-collection satellites are known in the public sphere as the Satellite Data System with the codename Quasar.
Experts caution, however, clues about this enigmatic satellite could remain murky until hobbyist observers find it in orbit and watch its behaviors to truly solve the puzzle.
In preparation for the launch, the 64th for an Atlas 5 and United Launch Alliance's 109th, workers Friday morning delivered the 106.6-foot-long, 12.5-foot-diameter first stage to Cape Canaveral's Vertical Integration Facility, used a crane to lift it upright and then placed it aboard the mobile launch platform to accomplish LVOS — Launch Vehicle On Stand.
 
File photo of an Atlas 5-421. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The stacking will continue by attaching the twin solid rocket boosters and mating the barrel-like interstage and the single-engine Centaur upper stage. The payload, already encapsulated in nose cone, will be mated in the final week before flight.
The completed launcher will roll to the Complex 41 pad on July 26.
It will be the NRO's third launch this year, following a Delta 4 flight in February from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California that placed a radar-imaging satellite in a retrograde orbit and a Delta 4-Heavy in June from Cape Canaveral that flew to geosynchronous orbit to deploy an eavesdropping craft.
For the Atlas 5, it will be the fourth of 10 launches planned in 2016. It has another hush-hush payload to launch in December, the NROL-79 mission, from Vandenberg.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

#8
http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/19/secret-nro-satellite-mounted-atop-atlas-5-rocket-for-july-28-launch/
ЦитироватьSecret NRO satellite mounted atop Atlas 5 rocket for July 28 launch             
 July 19, 2016 Justin Ray
 
File photo of Atlas 5 payload installation. Credit: ULA

CAPE CANAVERAL — Crews hoisted a covert spacecraft atop an Atlas 5 booster rocket this morning for its trek into an equatorial orbit next week.
United Launch Alliance will perform the deployment mission on July 28 for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the government agency that oversees the country's spy satellite fleet.
The launch is known as NROL-61 and the satellite's purpose is classified.
The NRO tells Spaceflight Now that the rocket will head easterly away from Cape Canaveral along an initial flight azimuth of 99 degrees.
Liftoff will occur some time during an unclassified period of 8 a.m. to 12 noon EDT (1200-1600 GMT). The actual target launch time is expected to be announced early next week, but the duration of the usable window will remain secret.
The rocket will be operating in its 421 configuration with a 14-foot-wide nose cone, two side-mounted solid boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage.
Officials also confirm to Spaceflight Now that the Extra Extended Payload Fairing (XEPF) version of the rocket's aluminum nose cone will shroud the payload during atmospheric ascent. It is 45 feet in length and the longest of three available options.
This is the first time the NRO has used a Atlas 5-421 to launch one of its satellites.
 
File photo of XEPF fairing lift. Credit: NASA-KSC

In preparation for the mission — the NRO's third this year and the Atlas 5 rocket's fourth — the payload was delivered to the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to the Complex 41 pad early this morning.
Already hidden from view inside the nose cone, the secret satellite was lifted off its transporter by an overhead crane and maneuvered atop the Centaur upper stage for mating.
The payload connection tops off the rocket at 194 feet tall. It will be rolled out to the pad on July 26.
Here's a look at some stats about NROL-61. This will be:
    [/li]
  • The 646th launch for Atlas program since 1957
  • The 351st Atlas launch from Cape Canaveral
  • The 235th mission of a Centaur upper stage
  • The 212th use of Centaur by an Atlas rocket
  • The 470th production RL10 engine to be launched
  • The 13th RL10C-1 engine launched
  • The 70th flight of the RD-180 main engine
  • The 64th launch of an Atlas 5 since 2002
  • The 53rd launch of an Atlas 5 from Cape Canaveral
  • The 4th Atlas 5 launch of 2016
  • The 96th Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle flight
  • The 23rd EELV flight for National Reconnaissance Office
  • The 13th National Reconnaissance Office use of Atlas 5
  • The 109th United Launch Alliance flight overall
  • The 56th Atlas 5 under United Launch Alliance
  • The 23rd NRO launch by United Launch Alliance
  • The 78th United Launch Alliance flight from Cape Canaveral
  • The 43rd 400-series flight of the Atlas 5
  • The 6th Atlas 5 to fly in the 421 configuration
  • The 45th NRO launch since acknowledging flights in 1996
  • The 22nd NRO launch from the Cape
  • The 3rd NRO launch this year
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"


Salo

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/26/photos-payload-with-whimsical-logo-painted-on-nose-cone-lifted-atop-atlas/
ЦитироватьPhotos: Payload with whimsical logo painted on nose cone lifted atop Atlas             
 July 26, 2016 Justin Ray
 
Already shrouded in the Atlas 5 rocket's Extra Extended Payload Fairing (XEPF) aluminum nose cone, the National Reconnaissance Office's NROL-61 satellite was delivered to Cape Canaveral's Vertical Integration Facility on Tuesday, July 19 and lifted aboard the United Launch Alliance vehicle for flight.
Launch is planned for Thursday, July 28 at 8:37 a.m. EDT (1237 GMT).
Photo credit: United Launch Alliance





"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/26/new-satellite-for-spy-agency-awaits-launch-into-space-thursday/
ЦитироватьPreview: New satellite for spy agency awaits launch into space Thursday
 July 26, 2016 Justin Ray
 
File photo of Atlas 5-421 rollout. Credit: ULA

CAPE CANAVERAL — An Atlas 5 rocket carrying a classified national security satellite was rolled to the launch pad this morning for Thursday's flight to bolster the U.S. intelligence-gathering space architecture.
Liftoff will occur at 8:37 a.m. EDT (1237 GMT). The duration of the day's usable launch window remains classified.
Weather forecasters expect favorable conditions for liftoff, placing 80 percent odds on launching. The only concern is a stray coastal shower impeding the rules.
United Launch Alliance will perform the satellite-delivery mission using a 421-configured Atlas 5 rocket that is distinguished by a nose cone 14 feet in diameter and two solid-fuel boosters for added takeoff thrust.
The rocket will head eastward across the Atlantic on a 99-degree flight azimuth to deploy the NROL-61 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the government agency responsible for the country's spy satellites.
The satellite's purpose and final orbit have not been disclosed.
The NRO was created in 1961 and operated in total secrecy as a black organization until its existence was declassified in 1992. It began acknowledging in advance the launches of its payloads in 1996.
Today, the agency operates imaging and eavesdropping spacecraft, naval surveillance birds and data-relay satellites for the constellations.
"NRO systems fly from hundreds to thousands of miles from Earth. They provide policymakers and warfighters a unique perspective, worldwide reach and the flexibility only possible through space-based access," said NRO Director Betty Sapp.
Atlas 5 has performed a dozen missions for the NRO since 2007 among its 63 flights overall dating back to 2002. But the NRO has never used a 421 version of the workhorse.
 
Atlas 5 has performed a dozen NRO launches to date. Photos by ULA

For United Launch Alliance, Thursday marks the company's 23rd flight in service to the NRO, the third just this year and 109th mission overall since 2006.
Officials held the Launch Readiness Review on Monday to grant final approval to proceed with the mission as scheduled.
The Atlas 5 rocket, assembled aboard a mobile launch platform inside the Vertical Integration Facility, was rolled out to the pad at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 this morning.
The slow drive from the 30-story assembly building to the launch pad, which began at 9:05 a.m., used a pair of specially-made "trackmobiles" to carry the rocket's 1.4-million pound launching platform along rail tracks for the 1,800-foot trip.
Countdown clocks will begin ticking early Thursday for the seven-hour sequence of final testing and fueling to launch.Tanking begins about two hours before liftoff to load 66,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the vehicle.
The NROL-61 launch will be the 64th Atlas 5 flight and the fourth of 10 planned this year.
It also marks the 80th rocket launch from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41. Since December 1965, the pad has hosted 27 Titan launches and 52 Atlas 5s.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/26/photos-atlas-5-rocket-moved-to-launch-pad-for-thursday-takeoff/
ЦитироватьPhotos: Atlas 5 rocket moved to launch pad for Thursday takeoff             
 July 26, 2016 Justin Ray

Ready to deliver 1.5 million pounds of thrust Thursday morning, an Atlas 5 rocket was rolled fr om its assembly building to the launch pad today for its national security satellite-deployment flight.
The United Launch Alliance rocket, equipped with two strap-on solid-propellant boosters for added performance, will launch the clandestine NROL-61 payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office from Cape Canaveral.
Liftoff is planned for 8:37 a.m. EDT (1237 GMT).
The booster was wheeled out aboard a mobile launcher platform, emerging from the hangar wh ere the rocket's two stages and the payload were integrated over the past three weeks.
The slow drive from the 30-story Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad used a pair of specially-made "trackmobiles" to carry the rocket's 1.4-million pound launching platform along rail tracks for the 1,800-foot trip.
The rocket is flying the 421 vehicle configuration. The version features two stages, two solids and a 14-foot-diameter nose cone. It is powered off the launch pad by an RD AMROSS RD-180 main engine and Aerojet Rocketdyne solids. The Centaur upper stage has an Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-1 cryogenic engine.

Photo credit: United Launch Alliance








"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

#13
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

che wi

ЦитироватьJames DeanVerified account ‏@flatoday_jdean  12h ago

Weather forecast has improved to 90% "go" for 8:37am EDT Thursday launch of #AtlasV, #NROL61 from Cape Canaveral


Salo

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/27/atlas-5nrol-61-launch-timeline/
ЦитироватьAtlas 5/NROL-61 launch timeline             
 July 27, 2016 Justin Ray

Follow the unclassified portion of the Atlas 5 rocket's ascent to space from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad with the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office's NROL-61 satellite. Launch is scheduled for Thursday at 8:37 a.m. EDT (1237 GMT).

T+00:01.1: Liftoff
 
 The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 vehicle, designated AV-065, will lift off and begin a vertical rise away from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

T+00:47: Mach 1 and Max Q
 
 The Atlas rocket achieves Mach 1 some 47 seconds into the flight, then passes through the region of maximum dynamic pressure at 52 seconds.

T+02:09 Jettison SRBs

 
 Having burned out of propellant approximately 40 seconds earlier, the spent solid rocket boosters are jettisoned once dynamic pressure conditions are satisfied.

T+04:10: Main Engine Cutoff

 
 The RD-180 main engine completes its firing after consuming the load of RP-1 kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen supply in the Atlas first stage.

T+04:16: Stage Separation

 
 The Common Core Booster first stage of the Atlas 5 rocket separates from the Centaur upper stage. Over the next few seconds, the Centaur engine liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen systems are readied for ignition.

T+04:26: Centaur Ignition No. 1

 
 The Centaur RL10 engine ignites to inject the Centaur stage and NROL-61 spacecraft into orbit.

T+04:34: Nose Cone Jettison

 
 The two-piece, 14-foot-diameter payload fairing that protected the NROL-61 craft during the atmospheric ascent is separated to reveal the satellite to space.
The mission now enters a news blackout to perform the orbit-shaping and payload deployment for the National Reconnaissance Office in secrecy.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"


Salo

#18
http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/26/av065_journal/
Цитировать1132 GMT (7:32 a.m. EDT)
 Centaur's liquid hydrogen tank is 30 percent full. The cryogenic propellant will be consumed with liquid oxygen by the stage's Aerojet Rocketdyne-made RL10C engine.

1128 GMT (7:28 a.m. EDT)
 First stage liquid oxygen tank is 70 percent full thus far. Chilled to Minus-298 degrees F, the liquid oxygen will be used with RP-1 kerosene by the RD-180 main engine on the first stage during the initial four minutes of flight today. The 25,000 gallons of RP-1 were loaded into the rocket after rollout on Tuesday.
 
1123 GMT (7:23 a.m. EDT)
 Chilldown of the liquid hydrogen system has been accomplished. The launch team has received the "go" to begin filling the Centaur upper stage with the supercold fuel.
 
1118 GMT (7:18 a.m. EDT)
 The first stage liquid oxygen tank has reached the 50 percent mark.
 
1112 GMT (7:12 a.m. EDT)
 The Centaur engine chilldown sequence is being initiated.
 
1109 GMT (7:09 a.m. EDT)
 Centaur liquid oxygen tank has reached flight level.
 
1104 GMT (7:04 a.m. EDT)
 The Centaur liquid oxygen tank reached the 96 percent level. The topping off process is starting now.
 
1100 GMT (7:00 a.m. EDT)
 The first stage liquid oxygen loading is transitioning from slow-fill to fast-fill mode.
 
1058 GMT (6:58 a.m. EDT)
 The chilldown conditioning of liquid hydrogen propellant lines at Complex 41 is starting to prepare the plumbing for transferring the Minus-423 degree F fuel into the rocket. The Centaur holds about 12,300 gallons of the cryogenic propellant.
 
1052 GMT (6:52 a.m. EDT)
 Now half-full on the Centaur upper stage's liquid oxygen tank.
 
1051 GMT (6:51 a.m. EDT)
 The conditioning of the systems for the first stage liquid oxygen tank have been completed. And a "go" has been given to begin pumping supercold liquid oxygen into the Atlas 5's first stage.
The Common Core Booster stage's liquid oxygen tank is the largest tank to be filled today. It holds 48,800 gallons of cryogenic oxidizer for the RD-180 main engine.
 
1042 GMT (6:42 a.m. EDT)
 Passing the 10 percent level on the Centaur upper stage's liquid oxygen tank.
 
1037 GMT (6:37 a.m. EDT)
 Filling of the Centaur upper stage with about 4,150 gallons of liquid oxygen has begun at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 following the thermal conditioning of the transfer pipes.
The liquid oxygen -- chilled to Minus-298 degrees F -- will be consumed during the launch by the Centaur's single RL10C engine along with liquid hydrogen to be pumped into the stage a little later in the countdown. The Centaur will perform the firings required to propel the NROL-61 satellite into its intended orbit today.
 
1029 GMT (6:29 a.m. EDT)
 The Centaur liquid oxygen pad storage area has been prepped. The next step is conditioning the transfer lines, which is now beginning to prepare the plumbing for flowing the cryogenic oxidizer.
 
1022 GMT (6:22 a.m. EDT)
 T-minus 2 hours and counting! The launch countdown has resumed for today's flight of the Atlas 5 rocket on a mission to deploy the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office's NROL-61 satellite into space.
Clocks have one more built-in hold planned at T-minus 4 minutes. During that 15-minute pause, the final "go" for launch will be given. All remains targeted for liftoff at 8:37 a.m. EDT (1237 GMT) from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41.
In the next couple of minutes, chilldown thermal conditioning of the mobile launch platform upon which the rocket stands will begin. This is meant to ease the shock on equipment when supercold cryogenic propellants start flowing into the rocket.
 
1019 GMT (6:19 a.m. EDT)
 All console operators have reported READY status during the pre-fueling readiness poll. The ULA launch director also voiced his approval for moving forward with the countdown as scheduled today.
The loading of nearly 66,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the Atlas 5 rocket will be getting underway a short time from now.
 
1017 GMT (6:17 a.m. EDT)
 The ULA launch conductor at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center is briefing his team on procedures before entering into the final two hours of the countdown.
 
1008 GMT (6:08 a.m. EDT)
 The danger area has been cleared of all personel.
 
1007 GMT (6:07 a.m. EDT)
 T-minus 2 hours and holding. The countdown has just entered the first of two planned, 15-minute holds over the course of the day that will lead to the 8:37 a.m. EDT (1237 GMT) launch of the Atlas rocket. The holds give the team some margin in the countdown timeline to deal with technical issues or any work that is running behind. The final hold is scheduled to occur at T-minus 4 minutes.
 
0954 GMT (5:54 a.m. EDT)
 The final hands-on work has wrapped up at the launch pad and technicians are departing the complex. Safety officials will confirm that the surrounding danger area has been cleared of all workers for the remainder of the countdown.
 
0900 GMT (5:00 a.m. EDT)
 The early portion of the countdown has been going well. There are no issues being reported in the count, activities are on schedule and the weather is fine.
 
0641 GMT (2:41 a.m. EDT)
 In today's first weather briefing to mission managers, all current conditions are observed GO for launch of the Atlas 5 rocket and odds for the launch window stand at 90 percent favorable.
Conditions are stable this morning across Cape Canaveral and the launch weather officer says there is little concern for violating any of the launch criteria.
The outlook predicts just a few low- and high-level clouds, good visibility, southerly winds of 7 to 11 knots and a temperature of 81 degrees F.
The Atlas-Centaur rocket has been powered up at Complex 41 and guidance system testing is getting started for today's launch, as the countdown progresses as planned.
 
0547 GMT (1:47 a.m. EDT)
 The countdown just began for today's launch of the Atlas 5 rocket on a national security satellite deployment flight for the U.S. government.
Clocks are picking up the seven-hour sequence of work that will prepare the booster, payload and ground systems for blastoff at 8:37 a.m. EDT (1237 GMT).
The launch team will begin powering up the rocket to commence standard pre-flight tests. Over the subsequent few hours, final preps for the Centaur's liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen systems will be performed, along with a test of the rocket's guidance system and the first stage propulsion and hydraulic preps, internal battery checks and testing of the GPS metric tracking system used to follow the rocket as it flies downrange, plus a test of the S-band telemetry relay system.
A planned 15-minute hold begins when the count reaches T-minus 2 hours. Near the end of the hold, the team will be polled to verify all is in readiness to start fueling the rocket for launch.
Supercold liquid oxygen begins flowing into the Centaur upper stage, followed by the first stage filling. Liquid hydrogen fuel loading for Centaur will be completed a short time later.
A final hold is scheduled at the T-minus 4 minute mark. That 15-minute pause will give everyone a chance to finish any late work and assess the status of the rocket, payload, Range and weather before proceeding into the last moments of the countdown.
The launch window length this morning is classified.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"