AEHF-5 - Atlas V 551 (AV-084) - CCAFS SLC-41 - 08.08.2019, 10:13 UTC

[tnt22]

Aug 08, 2019 11:48

AEHF-5 patch

The AEHF-5 patch is emblazoned on the Atlas V rocket's payload fairing.



The artwork depicts the AEHF-5 satellite launching from Cape Canaveral, as well as the flags of the countries involved in the AEHF program -- the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands -- and a star for each of the four previously launched AEHF satellites and one for this newest addition to the constellation.

[tnt22]

08/08/2019 11:51 Stephen Clark

The Atlas first stage liquid oxygen tank is now in topping mode after the completion of fast-fill.

[tnt22]

 ULA‏ Подлинная учетная запись @ulalaunch 2 мин. назад
Fueling of the #AtlasV has been completed, giving us a 1.3-million-pound rocket that is getting ready for launch at 5:44amEDT (0944 UTC) today from Cape Canaveral.

[tnt22]

08/08/2019 11:59 Stephen Clark

45 minutes until launch. Here are some statistics on this morning's mission:

[/li]
• 662nd launch for Atlas program since 1957
  
• 364th Atlas launch from Cape Canaveral
  
• 251st mission of a Centaur upper stage
  
• 228th use of Centaur by an Atlas rocket
  
• 491th production RL10 engine to be launched
  
• 28th RL10C-1 engine launched
  
• 86th flight of an RD-180 main engine
  
• 111th-115th AJ-60 solid rocket boosters flown
  
• 80th launch of an Atlas 5 since 2002
  
• 30th U.S. Air Force use of an Atlas 5
  
• 65th launch of an Atlas 5 from Cape Canaveral
  
• 1st Atlas 5 launch of 2019
  
• 117th Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle flight
  
• 132nd United Launch Alliance flight overall
  
• 72nd Atlas 5 under United Launch Alliance
  
• 94th United Launch Alliance flight from Cape Canaveral
  
• 51st ULA launch for U.S. Air Force
  
• 27th 500-series flight of the Atlas 5
  
• 10th Atlas 5 to fly in the 551 configuration
  
• 92nd launch from Complex 41
  
• 65th Atlas 5 to use Complex 41
  
• 10th orbital launch overall from Cape Canaveral in 2019
  

[tnt22]

 Tory Bruno‏ Подлинная учетная запись @torybruno 3 мин. назад
The board is green

[tnt22]

 Tory Bruno‏ Подлинная учетная запись @torybruno 2 мин. назад
Winds are almost non-existent. Looking good and calm

[tnt22]

Aug 08, 2019 12:09
L-35 minutes

Initial telemetry coverage of this morning's flight of the Atlas V rocket will be relayed via the TEL-4 tracking station here at the Cape. The Jonathan Dickinson Missile Tracking Annex (JDMTA) in South Florida will acquire the vehicle shortly after liftoff. A handoff from the ground sites to one of NASA's orbiting Tracking and Data Relay Satellites in geosynchronous orbit occurs during the initial burn of the Centaur and TDRS satellites continue for the rest of the mission.

[tnt22]

 Julia‏ @julia_bergeron 9 мин. назад
Welcome to the ITL Causeway complete with out very own gator. #AEHF5 is loading and ready to rumble. #ULASocial

[tnt22]

Aug 08, 2019 12:13

The fuel fill sequence is beginning. This procedure releases RP-1 kerosene fuel into the RD-180 main engine in preparation for ignition.

[tnt22]

Aug 08, 2019 12:15

Weather is observed and forecast GO for liftoff at 5:44 a.m. EDT (0944 UTC) today, according to the countdown's final planned briefing by Air Force weather officer Jessica Williams.

[tnt22]

Aug 08, 2019 12:19
L-25 minutes

Three video cameras aboard the Atlas V rocket will be used to record key portions of today's mission. An aft-facing camera on the first stage will provide views of the vehicle climbing away from the Earth, solid rocket motor jettison and all the way nearly to staging. Just prior to booster engine cutoff, the view will switch to the aft-facing camera on the Centaur stage to show the first stage separating and ignition of the RL10C-1 engine. That same view will be available for the end of the first burn and then the ignition and shutdown of the engine on the second and third burns of the day. In addition, a forward-facing camera on Centaur will capture payload fairing jettison and AEHF-5 spacecraft separation.

[tnt22]

Aug 08, 2019 12:19

The Automatic Determination and Dissemination of Just Updated Steering Terms, better known as the ADDJUST file, is being loaded into the Atlas V rocket's Inertial Navigation and Control Assembly (INCA) flight computer by the flight control operator here at the Launch Control Center. This is the planned steering parameters for the INCA to use based on today's upper level wind conditions.

A series of weather balloons has been launched throughout the countdown from the Range weather station at Cape Canaveral to collect measurements of wind speeds and directions to determine if conditions aloft violate the controllability or structural loads on the rocket during ascent. The balloon data was transmitted to ULA engineers in Denver to select a steering profile that minimizes launch vehicle responses.

[tnt22]

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[tnt22]

Aug 08, 2019 12:25
Countdown holding

T-minus 4 minutes and holding. The countdown has entered the planned 15-minute built-in hold designed to give a bit of margin to deal with any problems. Also during this time, the final readiness polls of the launch team and management members will be performed.

We remain on schedule for a liftoff at 5:44 a.m. EDT (0944 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral.

[tnt22]

Aug 08, 2019 12:26

A possible problem with the GPS Metric Tracking system has been reported to Launch Conductor Scott Barney. The issue is being referred to Anomaly Chief Dave McFarland for discussion, any troubleshooting steps, then resolution. The AC position in the control room that directs engineering teams work to resolve technical issues that arise during the count.

[tnt22]

Aug 08, 2019 12:30

The AEHF-5 spacecraft atop the Atlas V rocket is transitioning to internal battery power for launch. This is the final configuring of the payload for liftoff.

The protected communications satellite, built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, is destined to operate in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles above Earth.

[tnt22]

Aug 08, 2019 12:30

The GPS Metric Tracking system issue was a momentary telemetry glitch, not a hardware problem. So the team has cleared this concern.