AFSPC-7/USSF-7: X-37B OTV-6 – Atlas V 501 – CCAFS SLC-41 – 17.05.2020 13:14 UTC

[Старый]

А чего, об успешном выведении на орбиту в этих случаях сообщать не принято?  :oops: 

[tnt22]

Запись трансляции пуска

May 17 Live Broadcast: Atlas V USSF-7

United Launch Alliance

Трансляция началась 76 минут назад

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DRf2MTAlQTo?feature=oembed (44:09)

[tnt22]

Старый написал:
А чего, об успешном выведении на орбиту в этих случаях сообщать не принято?  :oops:  

Ждём-с...

William Harwood‏ @cbs_spacenews 1 ч. назад

A5/X37B: No more realtime updates are planned for today's ascent; we'll stand by now for an Air Force statement later today confirming a successful launch

[tnt22]

Supercluster‏ @SuperclusterHQ 56 мин. назад

Liftoff!

At 9:14 AM local time, @ulalaunch fires off their  workhorse Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the @SpaceForceDoD X-37B clandestine spaceplane

: @marcuscotephoto for Supercluster

[tnt22]

 Dr Marco Langbroek‏ @Marco_Langbroek 2 ч. назад

This is the trajectory that the #X37B #OTV6 will fly. It will launch into a ~44 degree inclined orbit at probably ~350 km altitude. Centaur upper stage deorbit is 55 minutes (half an orbit) after launch, in the Indian Ocean west of Australia.

[Брабонт]

Старый написал:
А чего, об успешном выведении на орбиту в этих случаях сообщать не принято?

@torybruno лаконичен:

139

[Александр Репной]

Поздравляю с успешным пуском!

[tnt22]

May 17, 2020 18:20

Our official liftoff time was 9:14:00.241 a.m. EDT.

[Александр Репной]

Одного запустили, а его второй брат сейчас на Земле? Почему их оба не запустят? Или они должны поочерёдно меняться?

[tnt22]

May 17, 2020 17:56

MISSION SUCCESS!

MISSION SUCCESS! United Launch Alliance's Atlas V has accomplished the USSF-7 mission for the U.S. Space Force's Space and Missile Systems Center. Success #139 for ULA. Thank you to the Space Force and SMC!

[tnt22]

https://www.ulalaunch.com/about/news-detail/2020/05/17/united-launch-alliance-successfully-launches-the-sixth-orbital-test-vehicle-for-the-u.s.-space-force

United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches the Sixth Orbital Test Vehicle for the U.S. Space Force
Atlas V USSF-7 Launch Information Page
Atlas V USSF-7 Photos

Mission dedicated to front-line responders and those affected by COVID-19

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., (May 17, 2020) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 501 rocket carrying the USSF-7 mission for the U.S. Space Force lifted off on May 17, 9:14 a.m. EDT, from Space Launch Complex-41. This marks the 84th successful launch of an Atlas V rocket, 139th launch for ULA, the second launch for the U.S. Space Force and the sixth flight of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-6).

"The success of this mission resulted from collaboration with our customer while working through challenging, and ever changing, health and safety conditions," said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. "We were honored to partner with the U.S. Space Force to dedicate this mission to first responders, front-line workers, and those affected by COVID-19. It is truly a unique time in our history and I want to thank the entire team for their continued dedication and focus on mission success."

Along with OTV-6, this mission deployed FalconSat-8, a small satellite developed by the U.S. Air Force Academy and sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to conduct experiments on orbit. The mission also carried two NASA experiments, including a material sample plate to determine the results of radiation and other space effects on various materials, and an experiment which will assess space effects on seeds used to grow food. Another experiment sponsored by the Naval Research Laboratory will examine the ability to transform solar power into radio frequency microwave energy which could be transmitted to the ground.

This mission launched aboard an Atlas V 501 configuration rocket that included a 5-meter-diameter payload fairing. The Atlas booster was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine, and the Centaur upper stage was powered by the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-1 engine.

ULA's next launch is NASA's Mars 2020 mission carrying the Perseverance rover on an Atlas V rocket. The launch is scheduled for July 17 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

To date ULA has a track record of 100% mission success with 139 successful launches.

With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the world's most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully launched more than 135 missions to orbit that provide Earth observation capabilities, enable global communications, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, and support life-saving technology.

[tnt22]

Охотники вышли за зверем...

 Cees Bassa‏ @cgbassa 1 ч. назад

The search for the #X37B OTV-6 space plane has started. This Doppler curve may be from OTV-6, but we'll have to wait for more data over the coming days to be certain.

[Брабонт]

Александр Репной написал:
Одного запустили, а его второй брат сейчас на Земле? Почему их оба не запустят? Или они должны поочерёдно меняться?

Так он сел недавно, проводится послеполётное обслуживание и т.п. И не факт, что наземка рассчитана на одновременную работу с двумя аппаратами.

Интереснее другое, что представляет собой сервисный модуль?

[кукушка]

[tnt22]

Jonathan McDowell‏ @planet4589 39 мин. назад

The sixth flight of the X-37B spaceplane began at 1314 UTC May 17 with launch on a @ulalaunch Atlas V model 501, serial AV-081, from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral.


38 мин. назад

The Centaur AV-081 upper stage reached orbit around 1330 UTC . The orbit has not been revealed but is thought to be around 350 x 360 km x 44.0 deg. OTV-6 separated a few minutes later.


34 мин. назад

The launch was designated USSF-7 (US Space Force 7). The craft in orbit is expected to get the cover identity USA 299. There are two X-37B orbiters and it is suspected that this is the third flight of X-37B No. 1.


32 мин. назад

The Centaur AV-081 stage made a deorbit burn at about 1340 UTC and reentered over the Indian Ocean about 1410 UTC. See @Marco_Langbroek 's post at https://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2020/05/otv-6-ussf-7-next-x-37b-launch-appears.html ... for his analysis

[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/17/upgraded-x-37b-spaceplane-rockets-into-orbit-aboard-atlas-5-launcher/

Upgraded X-37B spaceplane rockets into orbit aboard Atlas 5 launcher
May 17, 2020 | Stephen Clark


A 197-foot-tall (60-meter) Atlas 5 rocket climbs into the sky over Cape Canaveral on Sunday. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now

Darting through low clouds, the US Air Force's reusable X-37B spaceplane rode a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket into orbit Sunday, debuting upgrades to accommodate additional scientific experiments, a dishwasher-sized tech demo satellite, and classified military objectives.

Riding 860,000 pounds of thrust from its RD-180 main engine, the 197-foot-tall (60-meter) Atlas 5 rocket lumbered off Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad at 9:14 a.m. EDT (1314 GMT) Sunday.

The kerosene-fueled booster engine powered the rocket through a low cloud layer, and the Atlas 5 disappeared from the view of spectators within seconds. A powerful rumble left in the Atlas 5's wake moved across the Florida spaceport, lingering after the rocket's ascent was obscured by clouds.

Flying without any strap-on solid rocket boosters, the Atlas 5 arced toward the northeast and shed its bulbous payload fairing around the X-37B spaceplane nearly four minutes into the mission, once the rocket climbed into the rarefied vacuum of space. The Russian-made first stage engine shut down next, and a hydrogen-fueled Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engine ignited to continue accelerating the X-37B spaceship into orbit.

At the request of the U.S. Air Force, United Launch Alliance's live broadcast ended coverage of the mission's progress around five minutes after liftoff. The Centaur upper stage was expected to deliver the X-37B — also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle — into orbit in less than 20 minutes, then release the spacecraft.

The Centaur was programmed to re-enter the atmosphere and burn up over the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia around an hour into the mission, according to airspace warning notices released to the public. The re-entry was intended to ensure the launch did not leave any unnecessary space junk in orbit.

Trajectory information gleaned from the airspace warnings suggested the Atlas 5 rocket targeted placement of the X-37B spacecraft in an orbit more than 200 miles (about 350 kilometers) in altitude, with an inclination of around 44 degrees to the equator, according to Marco Langbroek, an archaeologist in the Netherlands who also tracks satellites.

Military officials did not disclose the exact orbital parameters.

ULA declared the launch a success in a press release later Sunday morning, punctuating the 84th flight of an Atlas 5 rocket since its debut in 2002, and the third Atlas 5 flight of 2020.

The U.S. military and ULA dedicated the launch to coronavirus first responders, front-line workers, and victims of the disease. The launch was part of the military's "America Strong" campaign, joining a series of flyovers of cities nationwide by the Air Force Thunderbirds and Navy Blue Angels to salute health care professionals and coronavirus patients and victims.

Shrouded in secrecy, the automated X-37B spaceplane is a reusable vehicle designed to deploy small satellites, host experiments, and pursue other classified objectives. Flying without any astronauts on-board, the vehicle generates electricity with a solar array and can autonomously guide itself to a runway landing at the end of each mission.

The Air Force has disclosed it has two X-37B vehicles in its inventory, and both were built by Boeing. Officials have not confirmed which X-37B vehicle was launched Sunday.

"X-37B is a really interesting machine," said Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing's space and launch division. "It's a reusable spacecraft. It is autonomous, it flies without crew. It can be rapidly reconfigured to host a wide variety of experiments, and it can take off from standard launch pads on standard rockets under fairing, and it can land autonomously through public airspace.

"You add that all up, there's a lot of innovation in this machine," Chilton said during ULA's launch broadcast Sunday.


An Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from pad 41 Sunday. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now

The mission launched Sunday is the sixth flight of the X-37B program since 2010. It carries more experiments than any previous X-37B mission, according to the Air Force.

The sixth X-37B mission — designated OTV-6 — is the first to fly with a new service module attached to the aft end of the spaceplane, providing additional capacity for experiments and payloads. The X-37B itself, measuring more than 29 feet (8.9 meters) long, also has a cargo bay inside its fuselage.

Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett said earlier this month that the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office is partnering with the U.S. Space Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory on the spaceplane's sixth mission, which "maximizes the X-37B's unique capabilities."

"This important mission will host more experiments than any prior X-37B flight, including two NASA experiments," Barrett said Wednesday. "One is a sample plate evaluating the reaction of sel ect significant materials to the conditions in space. The second studies the effect of ambient space radiation on seeds."

"This machine is a great blend of defense and research," Chilton said.

"NASA has a seed experiment on this flight," he said. "The idea is they've collected a lot of data on the space station around radiation effects on seeds. Long-term human trips (into space) would require some agriculture.

"X-37B can go some places the station doesn't go, collect different kinds of radiation, and our payload bay can (provide) a different kind of shielding," Chiltonn said. "So they'll get more data to complete their set."

The X-37B also carries a space-based solar power experiment.

"A third experiment designed by the Naval Research Laboratory transforms solar power into radio frequency microwave energy, then studies transmitting that energy to Earth," Barrett said.

"The service module extends the vehicle capability," Chilton said. "We can host more payloads that way. so this is the most we've ever carried on an X-37B mission. One of the things we're carrying on that service module, which can release independent satellites, is a satellite designed and built by cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy."

The satellite, named FalconSAT-8, has its own suite of five scientific experiments and tech demo payloads.

Col. Luke Sauter, professor and head of the astronautics department at the Air Force Academy, said the FalconSAT-8 is about the size of a standard dishwasher and weighs a little more than 300 pounds (136 kilograms).

The spacecraft's will test a novel electromagnetic propulsion system, low-weight antenna technology and a commercial reaction wheel to provide attitude control in orbit, Sauter said in response to questions from Spaceflight Now.

According to the Air Force Academy, FalconSAT 8's experiments include:

[/li]
• Magnetogradient Electrostatic Plasma Truster (MEP) – Novel electromagnetic propulsion system
  
• Metamaterials Antenna (MMA) – Low size, weight, power antenna with phased-array like performance
  
• Carbon nanotube experiment (CANOE) – RF cabling with carbon nanotube braiding flexed using shape-memory alloy
  
• Attitude Control and Energy Storage (ACES) – Commercial reaction wheel modified into a flywheel for energy storage and release
  
• SkyPad – Off-the-shelf cameras and GPUs integrated into low-SWAP (size, weight and power) package
  

S⁠auter said the schedule for the deployment of the FalconSAT 8 spacecraft from the X-37B spacecraft remains fluid, and "may be days, weeks or months."

"We're a secondary (payload) flying with the host mission, and we'll likely be released when it impacts their mission the least," Sauter said. "We already have cadets trained and ready to perform operations when the time comes."

In a statement before the launch, the Air Force said it "continues to push the flight envelope for the X-37B, and will build upon its growing collaboration with experiment partners with its sixth mission."

Barrett said the Air Force is declassifying some of the service's space activities. The X-37B, which Barrett said was "previously cloaked in secrecy," has accumulated 2,865 days in orbit on five previous missions.

"Each flight has been successively longer, setting a record for duration," Chilton said. "If you add up all the missions, just under eight years in orbit and a billion miles."

In addition to hosted payloads, the X-37B itself is an experimental vehicle. Boeing said in a statement after Sunday's launch that the mission "will test reusable space vehicle technologies."


Inside a former space shuttle processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the U.S. Air Force's X-37B spaceplane is prepared for encapsulation inside the nose shroud of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. Credit: U.S. Space Force

The X-37B remains an Air Force asset, officials said. The newly-established Space Force is responsible for the launch, on-orbit operations and landing.

"The ability to test new systems in space and return them to Earth is unique to the X-37B program and enables the U.S. to more efficiently and effectively develop space capabilities necessary to maintain superiority in the space domain," the Air Force said in a statement.

Boeing has built two X-37B vehicles for orbital flights. The program began under NASA management before transferring to DARPA in 2004, then to the Air Force in 2006.

The first X-37B space mission launched in April 2010. Four of the previous X-37B flights have launched on ULA Atlas 5 rockets, and one lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher.

Boeing and military teams ready the reusable spaceplanes inside a former space shuttle processing facility at Kennedy. The first three X-37B missions landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, but the most recent two flights concluded with returns to the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a few miles fr om the X-37B's hangar.

Boeing is responsible for refurbishing the X-37B between missions, and integrates experiments on the vehicle inside a modified space shuttle processing facility at Kennedy.

"You can say that the X-37B stands on the shoulders of the space shuttle," Chilton said. "The differences? The X-37B is autonomous, the X-37B is more rapidly reconfigurable, and frankly the challenge of coming down through public airspace without crew has been overcome, and proven to work well.

"Also the difference is the duration the X-37B can fly," Chilton said. "Our last mission was 780 days, and that's a lot longer than the shuttle could stay aloft."

[tnt22]

https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2020-05-17-Boeing-built-X-37B-Launches-in-Second-Mission-for-U-S-Space-Force

Boeing-built X-37B Launches in Second Mission for U.S. Space Force

Record-setting autonomous spaceplane begins sixth mission


May 17, 2020
The Boeing-built X-37B spaceplane successfully launched Sunday from Cape Canaveral, Fla. (Photo by U.S. Space Force)

Download: Hi Res (1.8 MB)

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. May 17, 2020 — The Boeing [NYSE]-built X-37B autonomous spaceplane today launched on top of a uniquely configured United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

Boeing is the prime contractor for the X-37B spaceplane and facilitates the integration of all experiments into the vehicle ensuring they receive the correct power, thermal and data services required. Boeing also works to identify future reusable platform experiment opportunities on each mission.

The X-37B's sixth mission is the first to use a service module with additional payload capability to support a variety of experiments for multiple government partners. The mission will deploy FalconSAT-8, a small satellite developed by the U.S. Air Force Academy and sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory, to conduct experiments on orbit. Further, two NASA experiments will study the impact of radiation and other space effects on certain materials and seeds used to grow food. Another experiment by the Naval Research Laboratory will transform solar power into radio frequency microwave energy which could then be transmitted to the ground. In addition, the mission will test reusable space vehicle technologies.

The X-37B first launched in April 2010. Originally designed for missions of 270 days duration, the X-37B has set endurance records during each of its five previous flights. Most recently, X-37B spent 780 days on orbit before returning to Earth in October 2019.

"The X-37B has shifted the paradigm and redefined efficiency in space development, said Jim Chilton, Boeing Space and Launch senior vice president. "The rapid technology advancements enabled by the program will benefit the entire space community and influence the next generation of spacecraft design."

The X-37B program is a partnership between the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and the United States Space Force. Boeing program management, engineering, test and mission support functions for the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) program are conducted at Boeing sites in Southern California and Florida.

# # #

[tnt22]

https://www.losangeles.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2189504/ussf-7-mission-successfully-launched/

USSF-7 Mission successfully launched
SMC Public Affairs / Published May 17, 2020

Спойлер

[свернуть]

An Atlas V carrying the USSF-7 mission to space lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, May 17. The mission marks marks the 80th successful mission in a row for the National Security Space Launch program. (Photo courtesy of United Launch Alliance)

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --
The U.S. Space Force's Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch Enterprise team and its mission partners successfully launched the USSF-7 mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle for the Department of the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 501 launch vehicle May 17 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

This morning's liftoff at 9:14 a.m. EDT marks the 80th successful mission in a row for the National Security Space Launch program. This launch continues the Department of Defense's America Strong initiative, recognizing healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential personnel on the COVID-19 frontlines.

"The National Security Space Launch program leverages commercial launch services to deliver the Nation's most critical space capabilities safely to orbit," said Col. Rob Bongiovi, director of SMC's Launch Enterprise. "Executing this important mission during an incredibly difficult time for the Nation and the world demonstrates the tenacity of the dedicated government and contractor professionals who worked tirelessly in new and innovative ways to safely achieve 100 percent mission success."

"Congratulations to the USSF-7 integrated team on a successful launch," said Lt. Gen. John Thompson, Space and Missile Systems Center commander and Air Force program executive officer for Space. "Launching USSF-7 is just the latest example of the big things the Department of Defense continues to accomplish every day in defense of our nation during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."

The USSF-7 launch is one of many achievements the Space and Missile Systems Center plans to accomplish this year.  SMC's Launch Enterprise team intends to successfully and responsibly launch seven additional National Security Space missions throughout 2020.

The Space and Missile Systems Center is the U.S. Space Force's center of excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. SMC's portfolio includes space launch, global positioning, military space vehicle communications, defense meteorological space vehicles, range systems, space vehicle control networks, space-based infrared systems, and space situational awareness capabilities.

[tnt22]

Supercluster‏ @SuperclusterHQ 6 ч. назад

Stunning shot of @ulalaunch's Atlas V 501 rocket leaving the launch pad this morning with the @SpaceForceDoD X-37B in tow

Captured with a camera placed at Space Launch Complex 41 by @marcuscotephoto




Michael Cain‏ @mdcainjr 6 ч. назад

A closer look at this morning launch. The RD-180 putting on some heat!

#ussf7 #atlasv #ulalaunch #x37b

[tnt22]

May 18, 2020 04:09

Launch Photo Gallery

See our Flickr album for a full collection of beautiful photos of the Atlas V launching USSF-7 taken by United Launch Alliance.