Launch News MUOS-1 atop Atlas V, February 24th, 2012

[IronRain]

Tomorrow's launch window starts at 22:42 UTC (5:42 pm EST). Weather may however be a concern here: weather forecast predicts that there's only a 40% chance of weather permitting launch.

Atlantis only had a 30% chance on STS-135..

 

[N_Molson]

SpaceFlight Now : High-altitude winds keep Atlas 5 rocket on the pad

SpaceFlight Now : High-altitude winds keep Atlas 5 rocket on the pad

The launch of an Atlas rocket with its heaviest payload ever was scrubbed 75 seconds before liftoff Thursday night due to upper level wind conditions. Officials have rescheduled the flight for Friday at 5:42 p.m. EST (2242 GMT) to launch the first of the U.S. Navy's newest generation of mobile communications spacecraft aboard the 200th flight of the Centaur upper stage.

 

[MattBaker]

About 3 hours 'til launch.
There are currently two weather rules "red", at first the cumulus clouds and now also the "field mill", that measures the strength of electrical fields, so basically the threat of a lightning strike is too high.

EDIT: Cape C is playing mad, cumulus clouds and field mill are green, but disturbed weather and cloud thickness is red, let's hope they find the four minutes of perfect weather.

19:53 UTC: Everything green

2100 GMT (4:00 p.m. EST)
And now the cumulus cloud rule has gone "red" again. So weather, at the present time, is out of limits for launch. But meteorologists will continue tracking conditions over the next couple of hours in hopes the situation improves. Weather had been "green" for the past 65 minutes or so.

 

[Moach]

anyone else getting no sound output from the livestream.com broadcast?

 

[orb]

Just wait for the ULA broadcast. The currently available stream is with no sound. The ULA broadcast will jump in that livestream 20 minutes before launch window open, too.

 

[orb]

The live coverage has started again:

• Standard quality
  
  
• Mobile quality

 

[MattBaker]

15 minutes to launch, cumulus clouds, thick clouds and disturbed weather rules are red.

EDIT: HOLD EXTENDED! 5 minutes, new launch time 5:47 PM EST/22:47 UTC; thick clouds and upper level winds (the rule that was also red yesterday) are no go

latest information: 6:25 PM EST/23:25 UTC; last opportunity or scrub 'til tomorrow; countdown will continue until T-60 seconds, then they decide go/no go; or not, SCRUB

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Anticipate RED for thick cloud rule till the end of the window....

 

[orb]

SCRUB. Thick cloud rule and upper level winds constraint.

24-hour recycle.

 

[MattBaker]

2330 GMT (6:30 p.m. EST)
Draining of the cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen from the Atlas 5 rocket is underway following the scrub to safe the vehicle.

It appears another launch attempt will not be made tomorrow. But still awaiting official word on rescheduling.

No launch attempt tomorrow? Probably same weather outlook as today

EDIT: New rule, check again before posting

2345 GMT (6:45 p.m. EST)
Rollback has been announced. To wait on the expected several days before the Range will be available for another launch attempt, the Atlas 5 rocket will ride the rails back the third-of-a-mile to its Vertical Integration Facility to wait out the delay. Exactly when the next launch date will occur remains up in the air, but liftoff won't occur for at least the next few days.

The rollback will happen tomorrow, roughly 24 hours after the scrub to allow the vehicle to warm up from the supercold propellants that are being drained right now.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

No launch attempt tomorrow? Probably same weather outlook as today

EDIT: New rule, check again before posting

ULA has announced that the launch will occur at no earlier than February 22nd.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

ULA has announced that the launch will occur at no earlier than February 22nd.

Looks like the next launch attempt is on Friday (5:15 - 5:59 pm EST / 22:15 - 22:59 UTC).

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

And the rocket is now back on the pad!

(all photos by Justin Ray / Spaceflight Now)

P.S. <shameless plug>This will not be the only launch of today: a [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_March_3C"]Long March 3C rocket[/ame] is awaiting launch at [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xichang_Satellite_Launch_Center"]Xichang[/ame] for the launch of the 11th satellite for the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beidou_navigation_system"]Compass satellite navigation system[/ame]. Launch is scheduled 6 hours earlier than this one (16:12 UTC / 11:12 am EST). Stay tuned for my launch report! </shameless plug>

 

[IronRain]

Spaceflight Now:

The odds acceptable launch weather conditions at Cape Canaveral today for the Atlas 5 rocket have jumped to 80 percent in the latest forecast issued by Air Force meteorologists.

"Today, Central to Eastern Florida will be in very warm, dry air ahead of a cold front that will move into the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Northern Florida by late evening. A slight threat for shower development exists over Central Florida late in the day well ahead of the front induced by very high temperatures this afternoon. Eastern Florida should only see very isolated development if any before sunset. Strong southwesterly winds gusting into the mid to upper 20s in advance of the front are expected during the launch window. The primary concerns for launch are cumulus clouds and liftoff winds," forecasters say.

The outlook at launch time calls for a few low clouds, scattered mid-level clouds, broken high clouds, a chance of isolated showers in the area, good visibility, southwesterly winds of 22 to 27 knots and a temperature around 80 degrees F.

If the launch should slip into the weekend, the forecast is 80 percent favorable on the backup launch opportunity available Saturday during a window of 5:11 to 5:55 p.m. EST and just 40 percent on Sunday from 5:07 to 5:51 p.m. EST.

"In the event of a 24-hour delay, the cold front will slow as it moves into Southern Florida. Associated frontal clouds and strong gusty winds behind the front remain a threat for Saturday. By launch time, winds will be northerly gusting in the upper 20s/low 30s. The primary concerns for a 24-hour delay are thick clouds and liftoff winds," the latest forecast says.

"In the event of a 48-hour delay, the front in Southern Florida will begin to return northward creating cloudier conditions and an increased threat for showers over the area. By launch time on Sunday, winds will be easterly gusting into the mid to upper 20s. The primary concerns for a 48-hour delay are thick clouds, cumulus clouds and disturbed weather."

 

[boogabooga]

Live coverage in 10 mins.

(In the meantime you can enjoy some dance electronica )

 

[N_Molson]

T-90 seconds

 

[MaverickSawyer]

We are go for launch... and at 1 min.
http://www.livestream.com/spaceflightnow

 

[N_Molson]

T-30 seconds

 

[orb]

Liftoff!

 

[N_Molson]

SRBs separation OK

---------- Post added at 10:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 PM ----------

Fairing jettison OK

---------- Post added at 10:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:18 PM ----------

Centaur separated and ignited successfully.

Nice on-board TV views !

---------- Post added at 10:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:20 PM ----------

Interesting to see that the Centaur engine exhaust is visible and blue-ish, with flashes of white particles.

---------- Post added at 10:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:25 PM ----------

Sunset ; the nozzle end is clearly red-hot.



MECO successful. :thumbup: