AFSPC-6: GSSAP3, GSSAP4 – Delta IV-M+(4,2) – Канаверал SLC-37B – 19.08.2016 04:52 UTC

[Salo]

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/30/delta-4-rocket-undergoes-launch-day-rehearsal-for-its-next-air-force-mission/

Delta 4 rocket undergoes launch day rehearsal for its next Air Force mission               
 July 30, 2016 Justin Ray

CAPE CANAVERAL — A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket went through a practice countdown and fueling exercise this week to prepare for its Aug. 19 liftoff to deliver a pair of orbital surveillance satellites into space.
Known as a Wet Dress Rehearsal, the test at Complex 37 was conducted on Wednesday, July 27, a day before an Atlas 5 rocket successfully launched the NROL-61 spacecraft for the National Reconnaissance Office from nearby Complex 41.
The Delta 4 was rolled to the pad earlier this month to begin the conventional checkout and final assembly tasks for the rocket while in a vertical position, including installation of two solid-fuel boosters.
Wednesday's operation saw the mobile service gantry retracted to its launch position and loading of 165,000 gallons of supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the first and second stages of the vehicle while working through a realistic countdown.
With the WDR completed, attention now turns to delivering the payload to the pad in early August for attachment.
The flight of Delta 375 will launch the third and fourth spacecraft in the Air Force's Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP, and carry the satellites all the way to 22,000 miles above the Earth for deployment.
 
Mission poster. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The duo will join an earlier GSSAP pair launched two years ago this week that are being used by USSTRATCOM today for monitoring satellites, rocket bodies and debris in geosynchronous orbit and providing collision prediction data.
Liftoff on Aug. 19 will occur some time between 12 midnight and 4 a.m. EDT (0400-0800 GMT).
The launch is called AFSPC 6 for the Air Force Space Command.
It will be the 33rd Delta 4 launch and the vehicle's 26th flight for the Air Force.
This is United Launch Alliance's next mission, the company's 110th since its 2006 creation and 44th dedicated to serving the Air Force.

По ссылке есть видео.

[Salo]

http://www.ulalaunch.com/

Delta IV to Launch AFSPC-6

Rocket/Payload: A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium (4,2) will launch the AFSPC-6 mission for the Air Force.
Date/Site/Launch Time: Friday, August 19, 2016, from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.   Mission Description: AFSPC-6 will deliver two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites to near-geo­synchronous orbit. The twin GSSAP spacecraft, built by Orbital ATK, will support U.S. Strategic Command space enhanced awareness operations. Data from GSSAP will uniquely contribute to timely and accurate orbital predictions, enhancing our knowledge of the geosynchronous orbit environment, and further enabling space flight safety to include satellite collision avoidance.
Launch Notes: AFSPC-6 marks ULA's 110th mission since the company was founded in 2006 and the seventh ULA launch of 2016. Two GSSAP satellites were previously launched aboard a ULA Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) rocket from CCAFS on July 28, 2014.
Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch. Hashtags #DeltaIV and #AFSPC6.
Go Delta! Go AFSPC-6!

[che wi]

[Salo]

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/08/09/air-force-satellite-duo-mated-to-delta-4-rocket-for-next-weeks-launch/

Air Force satellite duo mated to Delta 4 rocket for next week's launch             
 August 9, 2016 Justin Ray
 
File photo of first GSSAP payload delivery to pad in 2014. Credit: ULA

CAPE CANAVERAL — Two space informants to track objects in geosynchronous orbit have been mounted atop their Delta 4 launch vehicle for liftoff Aug. 19.
The United Launch Alliance rocket will carry the pair of Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP, satellites 22,300 miles above the Earth for the U.S. Air Force.
The identical spacecraft, built by Orbital ATK, are equipped with optical payloads to determine the location, orbit, size and status of space objects like living and dead satellites, rocket bodies and debris. Such data will improve the military's ability to warn against potential collisions and monitor the health of critical U.S. assets.
In preparation for flight, the payload was delivered to Cape Canaveral's Complex 37, hoisted into the pad gantry and attached to the rocket's upper stage Aug. 5.
The completed launcher stands 205 feet tall.
 
File photo of the Delta 4 poised for first GSSAP launch in 2014. Credit: ULA

The Delta 4 Medium+ (4,2) rocket will deliver the GSSAP satellites directly into geosynchronous orbit for deployment about six hours after liftoff.
The Aug. 19 launch will occur some time during a period of 12 midnight to 4 a.m. EDT (0400-0800 GMT). The usable launch window is hidden within that four-hour period.
Also successfully complete, the Flight Readiness Review has been conducted and affirmed the launch date. The FRR was chaired by Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, Space and Missile Systems Center commander and Air Force program executive officer for space.
This will be the 375th Delta rocket launch since 1960, the 33rd Delta 4 since debuting in 2002 and the 14th Medium+ (4,2) version with two solid-fuel boosters. It's also United Launch Alliance's 110th flight since 2006 and seventh this year.

[che wi]

до кучи, со вторым глазом )

[che wi]

[Salo]

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/08/12/photos-and-video-payload-hoisted-atop-delta-4-for-upcoming-

launch/
Photos and video: Payload hoisted atop Delta 4 for upcoming launch             
 August 12, 2016 Justin Ray
 
The two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP, satellites for the U.S. military were mounted aboard the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket on Aug. 5. Photos and video of the operation were released today. Liftoff is planned for Aug. 19 from Cape Canaveral.
Photos and video by United Launch Alliance
 

[Брабонт]

Время пуска 04:47 UTC

[Salo]

http://www.ulalaunch.com/uploads/docs/Mission_Booklets/DIV/div_afspc6_mob.pdf

[Salo]

http://www.ulalaunch.com/delta-iv-to-launch-afspc6-.aspx

Delta IV to Launch AFSPC-6

Delta IV APSPC-6 Mission Overview

Rocket/Payload: A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) configuration rocket will launch the AFSPC-6 mission for the U.S. Air Force.

Date/Site/Launch Time: Friday, Aug. 19, 2016, from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Launch is planned for 12:47 a.m. EDT.

Webcast: Live launch coverage will begin Aug. 19 at 12:27 a.m. EDT.

Mission Description: AFSPC-6 will deliver two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites to near-geo¬synchronous orbit. The twin GSSAP spacecraft, built by Orbital ATK, will support U.S. Strategic Command space enhanced awareness operations. Data from GSSAP will uniquely contribute to timely and accurate orbital predictions, enhancing our knowledge of the geosynchronous orbit environment, and further enabling space flight safety to include satellite collision avoidance.

Launch Notes: AFSPC-6 marks ULA's 110th mission since the company was founded in 2006 and the seventh ULA launch of 2016. Two GSSAP satellites were previously launched aboard a ULA Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) rocket from CCAFS on July 28, 2014.

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch. Hashtags: #DeltaIV and #AFSPC6.

Go Delta! Go AFSPC-6!

[Salo]

http://ria.ru/space/20160818/1474718059.html

В США запустят два спутника для слежения за объектами в космосе
18:53 18.08.2016
ВАШИНГТОН, 18 авг – РИА Новости. США в ночь на пятницу осуществят запуск двух разведывательных спутников для предотвращения столкновения объектов в космосе и слежения за работой американских спутников на орбите. Запуск осуществит ракета-носитель Delta 4 компании United Launch Alliance, сообщает портал Spaceflight Now.

Старт миссии, заказчиком которой выступает оборонное ведомство США, состоится в 00:47 по времени Восточного побережья США (07:47 мск) в пятницу. Прогноз погоды дает 80% вероятность благоприятных для старта миссии условий.

На геосинхронную орбиту в рамках программы по мониторингу за космическими объектами GSSAP (Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program) будут выведены два небольших спутника, созданных компанией Orbital ATK. Технические характеристики аппаратов, которые займут свое место на орбите в 35,8 тысячах километров над Землей, засекречены.

Первая пара спутников GSSAP была запущена в 2014 году, о начале работы программы было объявлено в октябре 2015 года. Планирует ли США запуск аналогичных аппаратов в будущем, не известно.

Как поясняет Spaceflight Now, спутники собирают информацию о размере, местонахождении и статусе космических объектов. "Сбор этих данных позволяет США повысить способность быстро определять, предупреждать, давать характеристику и реагировать на проблемы в геостационарной среде", — приводит издание в связи с предстоящим запуском слова представителя ВВС США.

[Salo]

Jeff Foust ‏@jeff_foust  
Jeff Foust Ретвитнул(а) AF Space Command
GSSAP spacecraft used to take images of MUOS-5 after its orbit-raising anomaly. (No details about the images, tho.)

[che wi]

http://www.ulalaunch.com/file-library.aspx?launchEventID=266

[che wi]

Немного статистики по данному пуску:

- The 375th Delta rocket launch since 1960
- The 33rd Delta 4 rocket mission since 2002
- The 14th Medium+ (4,2) configuration to fly
- The 51st main engine from RS-68 family used
- The 9th RS-68A main engine flown
- The 50th-51st GEM-60 solid rocket motors flown
- The 471st production RL10 engine to be launched
- The 36th RL10B-2 engine launched
- The 27th Delta 4 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral
- The 35th launch from Pad B at Complex 37
- The 18th use of Delta 4 by the Air Force
- The 97th Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle flight
- The 110th United Launch Alliance mission since 2006
- The 44th ULA launch for the Air Force
- The 26th Delta 4 under the ULA banner
- The 7th ULA launch this year
- The 3rd launch of the Delta family in 2016

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/08/17/d375_journal/

[che wi]

https://twitter.com/TrevorMahlmann/status/766475681064640512

[che wi]

ULA ‏@ulalaunch  1 minute ago

Weather update -- we are now at 100% chance of favorable weather for #AFSPC6 launch on #DeltaIV.

[che wi]

Включили трансляцию

http://www.ulalaunch.com/webcast.aspx

[che wi]

[che wi]

ULA ‏@ulalaunch  3 minutes ago

At the request of our customer, live #DeltaIV #AFSPC6 mission coverage will wrap following payload fairing jettison ~4.5 mins after liftoff

[che wi]