United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle for the U.S. Air Force
May 20, 2015
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket
successfully launched the Air Force Space Command 5 (AFSPC-5) satellite
for the U.S. Air Force at 11:05 a.m. EDT
today from Space Launch Complex-41. The rocket carried the X-37B Orbital
Test Vehicle or OTV, a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform
for the U.S. Air Force.
"ULA is honored to launch this unique
spacecraft for the U.S Air Force. Congratulations to the Air Force and
all of our mission partners on today's successful launch! The seamless
integration between the Air Force, Boeing, and the entire mission team
culminated in today's successful launch of the AFSPC-5 mission," said
Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president,
Atlas and Delta Programs.
This Atlas V mission also includes the Aft
Bulkhead Carrier (ABC) carrying the National Reconnaissance Office's
(NRO's) Ultra Lightweight Technology and Research Auxiliary Satellite (ULTRASat).
ULTRASat is composed of 10 CubeSats managed by the NRO and NASA. "The
ABC contained 8 P-Pods that released 10 CubeSats that were successfully
delivered. The CubeSats were developed by the U.S Naval Academy, the
Aerospace Corporation, Air Force Research Laboratory, The Planetary
Society and California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo
to conduct various on orbit experiments," said Sponnick.
This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V
501 configuration Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), which
includes a 5.4-meter-diameter payload fairing. The Atlas booster for
this mission was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine, and the Centaur
upper stage was powered by the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-1 engine. This
was ULA's sixth launch of the 501 configuration, and ULA's 54th
mission to launch on an Atlas V rocket.
ULA's next launch is the Atlas V GPS IIF-10
mission for the U. S. Air Force, scheduled for
July 15 from Space Launch Complex-41 from Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station,
Florida.
The EELV program was established by the United
States Air Force to provide assured access to space for Department of
Defense and other government payloads. The commercially developed EELV
program supports the full range of government mission requirements,
while delivering on schedule and providing significant cost savings over
the heritage launch systems.
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