NROL-101 - Atlas V 531 (AV-086) - CCAFS SLC-41 - 13.11.2020 22:32 UTC

[tnt22]

Nov 13, 2020 23:03

Go for Fueling

A readiness poll of the launch team by Launch Conductor Scott Barney, with concurrence of ULA Launch Director Tom Heter III, has approved cryogenic tanking operations to begin once the countdown resumes.

[tnt22]

Nov 13, 2020 23:06

Countdown Resumes

This is Atlas Launch Control at T-minus 2 hours (L-2 hours, 15 minutes) and counting. The next phase of today's launch countdown has started on schedule as we continue to target 5:13 p.m. EST (2213 UTC) for liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and the NROL-101 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Preparatory steps for fueling are being kicked off, including ground chilldown of the Atlas first stage liquid oxygen system and chilldown of the transfer lines to the Centaur upper stage liquid oxygen system.

[tnt22]

11/13/2020 23:06 Stephen Clark

T-minus 2 hours and counting. The countdown clock is ticking again, as the ULA launch team marches toward liftoff of an Atlas 5 rocket at 5:13 p.m. EST (2213 GMT) with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

There is one more built-in hold in today's countdown, expected at T-minus 4 minutes. That hold is expected to be shortened from its original length of 15 minutes to make up for the extension of the hold at T-minus 2 hours.

A thermal conditioning procedure known as chilldown will begin shortly to prepare the plumbing on the Atlas 5's mobile launch platform for the transfer of super-cold cryogenic propellants into the rocket.

Once cryogenic tanking begins, nearly 66,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen will be loaded into the two-stage Atlas 5 rocket.

[tnt22]

11/13/2020 23:14 Stephen Clark

The Atlas 5 countdown is now holding as ULA investigates a technical issue associated with the rocket's first stage liquid oxygen loading.

[tnt22]

 ULA @ulalaunch 56 с

An unplanned hold is being inserted into the countdown while an issue is being assessed. Launch Conductor Scott Barney called for clocks to stop at T-minus 1 hour, 52 minutes while the situation is examined.

[tnt22]

Интересно, они (ULA) хоть когда-нибудь хоть какой ракетой нормально улетать будут !??    --> 

[tnt22]

Nov 13, 2020 23:23

Anomaly Chief Dave McFarland reports that the timing issue with some valves has been resolved. So the team is ready to proceed with the Atlas V countdown.

[tnt22]

Nov 13, 2020 23:24

Countdown Resumes

Clocks are ticking again.

[tnt22]

Nov 13, 2020 23:29

New Launch Time

The new target launch time has seen set for 5:24 p.m. EST (2224 UTC) for Atlas V and NROL-101.

[tnt22]

Nov 13, 2020 23:30

Centaur LO2 Loading Begins

With the thermal conditioning, or chilldown, now complete, liquid oxygen has started to flow into the Centaur upper stage for today's launch. About 4,150 gallons of liquid oxygen will be loaded into Centaur.

[tnt22]

 Tory Bruno @torybruno 3 мин. назад

Commencing with cryo loading. Weather is beautiful. No issues being worked. #L101

[tnt22]

Nov 13, 2020 23:34

This is Atlas Launch Control as the countdown proceeds at Cape Canaveral towards the adjusted launch time of 5:24 p.m. EST (2224 UTC).

This is the first launch that Centaur is receiving its liquid oxygen from a new storage tank recently installed at Space Launch Complex-41. The upgrade is part of the pad's transformation into a unique facility that will simultaneously support Atlas V and Vulcan Centaur rockets. The 65,000-gallon storage reservoir is much larger than the previous 28,000-gallon tank, an enhancement required to support the more capable Centaur V upper stage on Vulcan.

[tnt22]

11/13/2020 23:45 Stephen Clark

T-minus 1 hour, 32 minutes and counting. Chilldown conditioning of the systems for the first stage liquid oxygen tank has been accomplished. The launch team just gave a "go" to begin loading super-cold liquid oxygen into the Atlas 5's first stage.

[tnt22]

Nov 13, 2020 23:47

Now passing T-minus 90 minutes until launch, with a 7-minute hold still to come at T-minus 4 minutes. Fueling operations are proceeding smoothly as we load liquid oxygen into both stages of the Atlas V rocket. Hydrogen fill for Centaur will occur shortly.

[tnt22]

11/13/2020 23:50 Stephen Clark

Chilldown of the liquid hydrogen transfer lines at Complex 41 is getting started now. This is a step in preparation for loading the super-cold fuel, stored at minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit, into the Centaur upper stage.

[tnt22]

Nov 14, 2020 00:02

United Launch Alliance is using the Atlas V 531 rocket, tail number AV-090, with a five-meter-diameter payload fairing and three strap-on solid rocket boosters, to launch the NROL-101 mission.

Leaving the pad on 1.8 million pounds of thrust from the combined power of the kerosene-fueled first stage main engine and three solid boosters, the Atlas V will perform pitch, yaw and roll maneuvers to align with a northeast heading. The vehicle will hit Mach 1, the speed of sound, in 39 seconds and surpass the region of maximum aerodynamic forces, or Max Q, at 51 seconds. 

The solid boosters will burn out and separate in less than two minutes. The payload fairing that protected the spacecraft during atmospheric ascent will be jettisoned at the edge of space three-and-a-half minutes into flight.

At the request of our customer, live coverage will conclude following fairing separation.

Но миссия имеет номер 086

[tnt22]

 Tory Bruno @torybruno 5 мин. назад

Mighty Atlas is carbo loading for the big sprint. Booster LOX at 20%. The board is green. #L101

[tnt22]

Nov 14, 2020 00:15

Centaur LH2 Loading Begins

The launch team has received the "go" to begin filling the Centaur upper stage with the super-cold liquid hydrogen fuel following chilldown of the system. The Centaur holds about 12,300 gallons of the cryogenic propellant for this mission.

[tnt22]

Nov 14, 2020 00:19

We will be taking the clocks down to T-minus 4 minutes where they will hold for 7 minutes while managers perform the final readiness polls. Liftoff remains targeted for 5:24 p.m. EST (2224 UTC).

Today marks the 86th flight for Atlas V. The vehicle has a 100 percent mission success record for the Defense Department, the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and commercial customers.

More than half -- 56 percent -- of Atlas V launches to date have successfully deployed national security space payloads into orbit.

[tnt22]

11/14/2020 00:21 Stephen Clark

This launch — designated NROL-101 — will mark the 86th flight of an Atlas 5 rocket since 2002, and the fifth Atlas 5 mission this year. It will be ULA's 30th mission for the NRO, which owns a fleet of spy satellites supplying optical and radar imagery, signals and communications intercepted from adversaries, and other data to the U.S. government's intelligence agencies.

The NRO has not revealed information about the payload flying on the NROL-101 mission, but warning notices released to pilots and mariners suggest the Atlas 5 rocket will head on a northeasterly track from Cape Canaveral, following a path parallel to the U.S. East Coast before flying near the Canadian maritime provinces.

The trajectory indicates the Atlas 5 will release the NRO payload into a high-inclination orbit.

The NRO owns data relay satellites and several spacecraft designed to intercept communications signals in elliptical Molniya-type orbits that stretch nearly 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) above Earth at their highest points. Those orbits are tilted around 63 degrees to the equator, giving satellites regular views of Russia and other parts of the northern hemisphere.

The Atlas 5 scheduled for launch this evening appears to be aiming for a similar Molniya-type orbit, according to multiple independent experts who track spy satellite activity.