NROL-52 – Atlas V 421 (AV-075) – Канаверал SLC-41 – 15.10.2017 07:28 UTC

[tnt22]

10/07/2017 07:57

SCRUB. A technical problem in the countdown has forced a launch cancellation for tonight. More details to follow.

[tnt22]

ULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 3 мин. назад

#AtlasV #NROL52 launch scrubbed today due to an issue with a telemetry transmitter on the rocket.

[tnt22]

ULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 3 мин.назад

The team will replace and retest the hardware in the Vertical Integration Facility prior to another launch attempt. #AtlasV #NROL52

[tnt22]

ULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 2 мин. назад

A new #AtlasV #NROL52 launch date will be released when it's established.

[tnt22]

10/07/2017 08:11

An S-band telemetry transmitter on the Atlas 5 rocket has failed and will need replacing before the NROL-52 mission can occur, delaying the launch at least a few days.

To accomplish the repair, the rocket will be rolled back to its nearby vertical assembly building to gain the necessary access to the vehicle's compartments.

Спойлер

This is the third scrub for the mission. Bad weather caused back-to-back postponements over the last two days. The weather was looking favorable today.

No Atlas 5 mission in the 74-flight, 15-year history of the rocket program has encountered three countdown scrubs. Only three missions had multiple scrubs, and those flew on their third tries.

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

http://www.ulalaunch.com/atlas-v-to-launch-nrol52.aspx

Atlas V to Launch NROL-52

(Oct. 7, 2017, 1:12: a.m. EDT) The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrying the NROL-52 mission was scrubbed today due to an issue with a telemetry transmitter on the launch vehicle.

The team will replace and retest the hardware on the launch vehicle in the Vertical Integration Facility prior to another launch attempt. A new launch date will be released when it's established.

[Зловредный]

--

[tnt22]

https://spaceflight101.com/atlas-v-rocket-rolls-back-after-three-back-to-back-launch-scrubs/

Atlas V Rocket Rolls Back after Three Back-to-Back Launch Scrubs
October 8, 2017

ULA's Atlas V rocket carrying the classified NROL-52 satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office has been forced to move back into its Integration Facility after suffering three consecutive launch scrubs earlier in the week. A new launch date will be established once repairs on the launch vehicle can be completed and coordination can be made with the Air Force-operated Eastern Range.

Спойлер

Photo: United Launch Alliance

The 60-meter tall rocket had been on the pad at Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 since Tuesday, making attempts to launch on Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning with the first two attempts ending in a stand-down due to weather and teams backing out of the third countdown due to a technical issue on the rocket.

Thursday's launch attempt ended when high ground winds associated with shower bands prevented the rocket fr om being safely loaded with cryogenic propellants, prompting a 24-hour recycle to Friday for which weather was also the prime concern with one-in-three odds of favorable conditions.


Photo: United Launch Alliance

Fueling went without issue on Friday and Atlas V stood ready with the countdown holding at T-4 minutes while teams waited for a favorable gap in lightning and cumulus clouds; however, the attempt came to an end when a lightning trigger forced a countdown hold at T-1 minute and 37 seconds and Atlas V ran out of window time.

Saturday appeared to be looking better from a weather standpoint as odds of favorable conditions improved to 70%. Pressing into countdown operations, Atlas V was powered up seven hours before the opening of the classified launch window. Testing of the vehicle indicated a potentially serious problem with an S-Band telemetry transmitter on the launch vehicle and further testing showed the unit was failed for good and required replacement, ending the launch attempt prior to propellant loading.

This is the first Atlas V mission in the 74-flight, 15-year history of the program to experience three countdown scrubs. Only three previous missions had multiple scrubs and all those got off the ground on the third attempt.

The failure of the S-Band transmitter necessitated a rollback of the launch vehicle to the Vertical Integration Facility wh ere replacement and re-testing work can be performed. Replacing the transmitter is a fairly straightforward task, though fully evaluating the root cause of the failure after two trouble-free countdowns may take additional work to ensure other vehicle systems were not affected by the problem. ULA said a new launch date for the mission will be announced once a forward plan has been developed.


NROL-52 Mission Patch – Image: NRO

The Eastern Range had originally been booked by SpaceX Saturday and Sunday for the launch of the SES 11 broadcasting satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket. A first stage issue caused that mission to slip to no earlier than Wednesday, allowing ULA to keep Atlas V out for the Saturday morning attempt. Range approval for the SES 11 mission for Wednesday & a backup on Thursday has not been confirmed yet and will also depend on the progress of repair work on the Falcon 9. If SpaceX can keep the Wednesday target, Atlas V is likely looking at liftoff in the second half of the week, at the earliest.

NROL-52 can be identified with a fairly high-degree of certainty as belonging to the fourth generation of the Satellite Data System (SDS) as the mission appears to be a repeat of the NROL-61 launch of 2016 that also used an Atlas V 421 rocket out of Cape Canaveral and deployed a single payload into Geotransfer orbit.

The Satellite Data System, operating under the code name Quasar, was inaugurated in 1976 and has since gone through four generations, initially operating from highly elliptical Molniya Orbits that allow for optimized coverage over the northern hemisphere.

>> Identifying the Classified NROL-52 Satellite


Declassified Image of Early SDS Satellite – Credit: National Reconnaissance Office

With the second generation, SDS began operating satellites in Geostationary and Molniya orbits, a pattern that continued into the third generation until the replenishment of Molniya satellites stopped around 2007 – indicating SDS moved to a pure-GEO-based system. The use of the more powerful Atlas V 421 rocket for NROL-61 and 52 suggests the satellites have gained mass as SDS moved into its next generation, in line with the use of the larger Extra-Extended Payload Fairing to fit larger satellites.

The Satellite Data System is similar in architecture to NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System in that a number of satellites in Geostationary Orbit act as communication hubs – relaying commands from the ground to lower-orbiting satellites and routing data from satellites to their operators to achieve a real-time relay capability for the entire orbit of a satellite. SDS provides real-time relay from the Keyhole imaging satellites, radar reconnaissance missions and other intelligence-gathering and technology satellites. Additionally, SDS connects Air Force Satellite Control Network ground stations and relays communications from Air Force aircraft.

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow 46 мин. назад

For 8th time in 60 flights from Cape, Atlas 5 rolled back to assembly building after launch delay #NROL52 https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/02/av075_journal/ ...

10/09/2017 23:09

Marking only the eighth delay-and-rollback scenario in 60 flights from Cape Canaveral, the Atlas 5 rocket was returned to the assembly hangar today replace the S-band telemetry transmitter on the vehicle before its NROL-52 mission.

Спойлер

The Atlas originally moved from the nearby Vertical Integration Facility to the Complex 41 pad last Tuesday. After experiencing back-to-back weather scrubs due to high winds Thursday and lightning on Friday, the hardware issue occurred on Saturday.

Launch of this mission is tentatively expected in a few days, pending Range availability.

The Atlas 5 program at the Florida spaceport uses a "clean-pad" concept with minimal infrastructure. Instead, stacking of the rocket stages and pre-flight work is accomplished inside the user-friendly confines of the VIF building. The mobile launch platform transports the Atlas between the hangar and the pad, a distance of just 1,800 feet.

Five times in the history of the Atlas 5 program has a rocket been forced to roll back for technical reasons, including this one. Those instances were driven by circumstances that required hardware removal-and-replacement jobs be performed in the 30-story-tall VIF.

The previous rollbacks occurred on the Hellas Sat mission in 2003 to replace data instrumentation unit, the WGS 2 flight in 2009 to replace a leaky liquid oxygen valve, Intelsat 14 also in 2009 to replace an ordnance control assembly and most recently in June on NROL-38 to remove a faulty ground support equipment duct in the environmental control system.

One other rollback occurred in February 2012 due to an extended wait for Range availability after weather thwarted initial launch opportunities on the MUOS 1 flight. Another Atlas 5 with NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes was rolled back to ride out Hurricane Isaac in August 2012.

Most recently, a rollback was ordered in March 2014 due to a Range outage and scheduling delays.

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

Прогноз погоды L-4

AV-075 NROL-52 L-4 Forecast
 
70 % GO

=> 4-я попытка пуска 2017-10-14

[tnt22]

Прогноз погоды L-3

AV-075 NROL-52 L-3 Forecast
 
60 % GO

[tnt22]

ULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 22 мин назад

Launch update: #AtlasV #NROL52 is scheduled to launch no earlier than Saturday, Oct. 14.

[tnt22]

ULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 21 мин. назад

The telemetry transmitter that caused Saturday's launch delay has been replaced and retested. #AtlasV w/ #NROL52 remain secure in the VIF

[tnt22]

NOTMAR

lnm07412017.pdf, 5-я стр
 
Координаты LHA без изменений
Окно запуска - 2017-10-14 с 07:31 до 09:38 UTC. T-0 = 07:31 UTC

[tnt22]

http://www.ulalaunch.com/atlas-v-to-launch-nrol52.aspx

Atlas V to Launch NROL-52

[/li]
• Rocket: Atlas V 421
• Mission: NROL-52
• Launch Date: Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017
• Launch Time: 3:31 a.m. EDT
• Live Broadcast: 3:11 a.m. EDT
  

[tnt22]

10/12/2017 17:24 On the pad

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket with the NROL-52 spacecraft aboard moved to the launch pad this morning for liftoff Saturday to serve the national interest.

Спойлер

The 194-foot-tall rocket was rolled out from the vertical assembly building to the pad at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41.

Liftoff is scheduled for 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 GMT) to deliver the craft to a classified orbital perch.

The Atlas 5 was rolled back to the VIF on Monday for a removal, replacement and retest of its S-band telemetry transmitter, then waited for nearby Falcon 9 to launch to occur last night before returning to pad today.

After a crew rest day Friday to sync with the early morning launch, countdown clocks begin ticking at 8:41 p.m. on Friday.

It will be the 16th time that the NRO has used the Atlas 5 to deliver one of its national security payloads into orbit.

The 421 version of the Atlas 5 will do the lifting this time. It has flown 6 times in the past 15 years. It is distinguished with a four-meter-diameter nose cone, two side-mounted solid boosters and a single-engine Centaur.

Weather forecasters give a 40 percent chance of good conditions for launch. Cumulus clouds and lightning are the main concerns.

"During the count Friday evening and on launch day, broad troughing is expected over Central Florida associated with the Easterly wave in the northwest Caribbean. High moisture, troughing, and deep easterly flow will result in an elevated coastal shower threat over the Spaceport with the potential for isolated embedded thunderstorms coming in off the Atlantic," forecasters say.

The launch time outlook calls for scattered and broken levels of clouds, coastal showers, good visibility, easterly winds 16 to 20 knots and a temperature of 80 degrees F.

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

ULA‏Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 12 мин. назад

#AtlasV is back on the launch pad! We're set to launch #NROL52 for @NatReconOfc Oct 14 at 3:31amET. http://bit.ly/av_nrol52 

[tnt22]

Прогноз погоды L-2

AV-075 NROL-52 L-2 Forecast

40 % GO    :|

[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/12/photos-atlas-5-returns-to-launch-pad-for-night-owl-launch/

Photos: Atlas 5 returns to pad for night owl launch
October 12, 2017 Justin Ray

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket with the NROL-52 spacecraft aboard moved to the launch pad this morning for liftoff Saturday to serve the national interest. Liftoff is scheduled for 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 GMT).

The Atlas 5 was rolled back to the Vertical Integration Facility on Monday for a removal, replacement and retest of its S-band telemetry transmitter, then waited for nearby Falcon 9 to launch to occur last night before returning to pad today.

Credit: United Launch Alliance

See earlier NROL-52 coverage.

Спойлер

 

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

Переобъявлена (2017-10-12)

Airspace Closure Area