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

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Переобъявлена (2017-10-12)

Launch Hazard Area
 

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О трансляции запуска. Компания ULA пока официально не объявляла о трансляции,
фактически - адреса ниже:

http://www.ulalaunch.com/webcast

[tnt22]

Прогноз погоды L-1

AV-075 NROL-52 L-1 Forecast

40 % GO     :|

[tnt22]

10/13/2017 17:43 Weather remains 40% GO

The weather outlook heading into tonight's launch countdown at Cape Canaveral predicts odds of 40 percent that conditions will be suitable for liftoff of the Atlas 5 rocket.

Спойлер

"Currently, easterly flow through the atmosphere is causing coastal showers to impact the Space Coast. An upper-level trough and an Easterly Wave stretching from the Florida Straits to the Bahamas will continue to migrate west and will impact Florida today. This will cause an in-flux of tropical moisture, increasing coastal showers and thunderstorms tonight through Saturday," forecasters report.

"Winds will also increase and be from the east gusting in the low 20s today and through the countdown, but will trend down to the upper teens to 20 knots during the window."

The launch time forecast includes scattered cumulus clouds and broken high cirrostratus clouds, good visibility, coastal showers, easterly winds 16-20 knots and a temperature of 80 degrees F.

"The primary concern for launch is cumulus clouds and lightning," launch meteorologists say.

"In the event of a 24-hour delay, the Easterly Wave continues to transit west, and coastal showers will continue to be a concern. Winds become from the east-southeast with gusts in the mid to upper teens. The primary concern for launch is cumulus clouds."

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[tnt22]

10/14/2017 03:41 Countdown starts for NROL-52 launch

The fourth countdown has been initiated for the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on the NROL-52 national security satellite deployment mission.

Clocks are picking up the seven-hour sequence of work that will prepare the booster, payload and ground systems for blastoff at 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 GMT).

Спойлер

The launch team will start 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 hold begins when the count reaches T-minus 2 hours. Near the end of the 15-minute 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.

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[tnt22]

 

Julia‏ @julia_bergeron 3 ч. назад

Look who graced the @ulalaunch LC41 during remote setup today @torybruno The #NROL52 emblem came to life! Courtesy: Julian Leek

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10/14/2017 04:20

The vehicle has been powered up for launch just over six hours from now. Guidance system testing is next.

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Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow 2 мин. назад

Launch weather for #NROL52 remains difficult due to tropical moisture streaming into FL. 40% chance of GO conditions https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/02/av075_journal/ ...

[tnt22]

10/14/2017 05:07 Weather odds stay at 40% GO

In the countdown's first official weather briefing, the launch weather officer says there continues to be a 40 percent chance of acceptable conditions at the 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 GMT) liftoff time due to tropical moisture streaming into Central Florida from the Atlantic.

Спойлер

This is nearly a carbon copy of the weather pattern that caused that weather scrubs last week, with coastal showers, cumulus clouds, lightning and gusty winds all prevalent.

Tonight, there is a tropical wave centered over Cuba. Cape Canaveral is on the northern edge of the associated rain.

The launch time outlook calls for scattered and broken levels of clouds, rainshowers, good visibility, easterly winds gusting to 22 knots and a temperature of 80 degrees F.

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[tnt22]

10/14/2017 06:58

Weather remains the only concern right now. It has been raining at the pad over the past hour as a strong rain cell with gusty winds moved ashore.

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Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live 1 мин. назад

#AtlasV returned to the pad on Thursday & entered a 7-hour countdown in the evening hours on Friday, local time. Now inside L-3 hrs. #NROL52

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Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live 10 сек. назад

Radar has shown a chain of showers moving east to west, passing over the #AtlasV pad for the last two hours. Winds are also on the high end.

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10/14/2017 07:22

Guidance system testing is complete.

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10/14/2017 07:31 L-3 hours and counting

Activities continue to go well in the countdown. The first four hours of the count have been completed at Cape Canaveral for the launch of NROL-52 at 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 GMT).

In about 45 minutes, the launch team will be polled for readiness to begin fueling the Atlas 5 rocket. Tanking is scheduled to start a short time later, weather permitting.

[tnt22]

Updated: 10/14/2017 07:50

The current weather conditions are NO GO at Cape Canaveral due to the cumulus clouds passing over the pad from coastal rain, but that constraint could clear in about 45 minutes.

The odds of acceptable conditions at the 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 GMT) launch time for the Atlas 5 remain at 40 percent.

The hope is the potential of finding a hole in the weather at the right time.

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10/14/2017 07:51

The final hands-on work has concluded at the launch pad and technicians are departing the complex for the remainder of the countdown to liftoff.

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Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live 3 мин. назад

The early portion of tonight's #AtlasV countdown has gone well. The vehicle has been thoroughly checked, now entering tanking prep. #NROL52

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10/14/2017 08:01 Countdown in pre-planned hold

T-minus 2 hours and holding. The countdown has just entered a scheduled hold point. It will last for 24 minutes today. That's 15 minutes originally planned and 9 minutes that have been narrowed from the later T-minus 4 minute hold period.

Launch remains targeted for 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 GMT).

The change will allow the team to assess the weather and high wind conditions embedded in rain squalls moving over the Cape before moving into fueling.

Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live 2 мин. назад

T-2 Hours & HOLDING! Atlas V countdown now in a planned hold dedicated to tanking preps and polling of the team. #NROL52

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10/14/2017 08:14

The GO has been given to the launch team to begin preparations for fueling the Atlas 5. The threat of high winds has subsided, allowing countdown activities to resume.

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10/14/2017 08:23

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.