Launch News NROL-34 atop Atlas V-411 on Apr. 15, 2011

[orb]

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket (AV-027) will launch a classified spacecraft payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The rocket will fly in the 411 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, one solid rocket booster and a single-engine Centaur upper stage.

|

Launch date:​

|  Apr. 15, 2011 UTC & EDT / Apr. 14 PDT

Window open:​

|  04:24 UTC / 9:24 p.m. PDT / 12:24 a.m. EDT

Window close:​

|  04:34 UTC / 9:34 p.m. PDT / 12:34 a.m. EDT

Launch site:​

|  SLC-3E, VAFB, California

{colsp=2}

[highlight]L[eventtimer]2011-4-15 4:24;%c%%ddd%/%hh%:%mm%:%ss%[/eventtimer][/highlight]​

|

There is calendar event created for this launch, for which you can request a reminder.



Viewing the Launch Live:

A live simulcast of the TV broadcast of the launch will begin 20 minutes prior to launch on:

• Flash Player - Standard quality
• Flash Enabled Mobile Devices - Low quality

Payload:

NROL-34 is a classified US Government / military satellite, probably a Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite (NOSS). Orbit probably 1100 km, circular, at 63°.4 inclination. It will become USA 229 on achieving orbit. There may be more than one payload.

{colsp=2}

Mission Insignia (clickable)​

|

Launch Vehicle:

Atlas 5-411 vehicle (serial number AV-027) with a single solid-fuel booster mounted to the first stage.

The configuration is unique because rockets typically fly with either no strap-on boosters or multiple motors.

The upper stage consists of single-engine Centaur.

Gross mass:|386 800 kg (852 700 lb).

Payloads:|8 763 kg (19 320 lb) to sun synchronous orbit;

6 075 kg (13 393 lb) to geosynchronous transfer orbit​

Height:|59.10 m (193.80 ft)

Diameter:|3.81 m (12.49 ft)

Fairing:|4 m (13.12 ft)

Span:|5.36 m (17.58 ft)

Thrust:|5 188.00 kN (1 166 308 lbf)

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5-411 rocket has flown successfully twice before, lofting a commercial European TV satellite from Cape Canaveral in 2006 and an NRO spy satellite from Vandenberg in 2008.​

Launch preparations:

Launch Updates:

• Spaceflight Now's Mission Status Center
• ulalaunch twitter
• ULA launch hotline - dial at: 1-877-852-4321

Links:

• United Launch Alliance:
  • Atlas V Set to Launch NROL-34
  • Multimedia Webcast page
  
  
• Vandenberg Air Force Base:
  • Vandenberg's fourth Atlas V launch scheduled
  
  
• Spaceflight Now:
  • Primetime launch from the West Coast set for Thursday
  • Atlas 5 rocket assembled for launch (PHOTO GALLERY)
  • Atlas 5 rocket awaits countdown (PHOTO GALLERY)
  
  
• NASASpaceflight:
  • ULA Atlas V set to launch with NROL-34
  
  
• Lompoc Record:
  • 2011-04-07: Launch a go even if gov’t shuts down
  • 2011-04-07: Engineer has huge duties
  • 2011-04-08: Launch delayed 2 days
  • 2011-04-13: Atlas 5 rocket ready to blast off
  
  
• SPACE.com:
  • New Spy Satellite Set for Primetime Launch from Calif. Tonight
  
  
• Santa Maria Times:
  • Weather may hinder VAFB launch

Weather report:

The weather odds remain only 30 percent favorable for launching tonight due to the high winds. But the launch team is going to give it a shot and hope the winds cooperate when the time comes.

 

[Izack]

Strange configuration with that one booster. How will it compensate I wonder?

 

[Scruce]

Strange configuration with that one booster. How will it compensate I wonder?

:hesaid:

 

[River Crab]

Isn't it just a matter of gimballing?

It has been done before:

 

[orb]

T-4 minutes and holding. This is 10 minutes long built-in hold.

You can watch the launch at United Launch Alliance Multimedia Webcast page.

 

[orb]

GO Atlas 5, GO Centaur, GO NROL-34.

T-3:30 minutes and counting.

Some stats for this launch:

• The 607th launch for Atlas program since 1957
• The 288th Atlas to occur from Vandenberg AFB since 1959
• The 37th Atlas to use Space Launch Complex 3
• The 25th launch of an Atlas 5 since 2002
• The fourth Atlas 5 to occur from Vandenberg
• The 17th Atlas 5 under United Launch Alliance
• The third Atlas 5 to fly in the 411 configuration
• The 12th Department of Defense mission on Atlas 5
• The fifth National Reconnaissance Office use of Atlas 5
• The second Atlas launch of 2011

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Launched on time and a nominal mission so far. Centaur should already be burning for a few minutes right now...

 

[orb]

Video replay of the launch

Replay of the launch

​

Spaceflight Now:

• Tower rolled back for Atlas 5 launch (PHOTO GALLERY)
• Atlas 5 rocket launched from California (PHOTO GALLERY)

 

[orb]

Photos from the launch

Vandenberg Air Force Base: Vandenberg's 4th Atlas V lifts off

United Launch Alliance: ULA Successfully Launches Fifth NRO Mission in Seven Months

SPACE.com: New U.S. Spy Satellite Launches on Clandestine Mission

Lompoc Record: Atlas 5 soars into orbit from VAFB

Spaceflight Now:

• Air Force launch photo collection (PHOTO GALLERY)
• Atlas 5 rocket launched from California (PHOTO GALLERY)

 

[Star Voyager]

Vandenberg Air Force Base: Cause Identified for Ariane 5 Launch Abort

I think you mis-labeled that one.

 

[orb]

I think you mis-labeled that one.

Where did it come from? I had it in the clipboard at least an hour earlier. Since then I copied to the clipboard many things. :hmm:

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now: Observers confirm identity of last week's Atlas payload:

The National Reconnaissance Office has successfully deployed vital replacement spacecraft over the past seven months to rejuvenate nearly all of its satellite constellations, most recently putting an ocean surveillance duo into orbit last week.

{...}

The capper occurred last Thursday when two satellites were launched together atop an Atlas 5-411 rocket from Vandenberg to refresh the Naval Ocean Surveillance System, or NOSS. Satellite-tracking hobbyists reported spotting the formation-flying craft and confirmed them with further observations Monday night.

"NOSS satellites track ships at sea through their radio transmissions. The first two generations, launched between 1976 and 1996, consisted of several triplets that orbited in close formation. Analysis of the difference in time of arrival of a signal at each member of a triplet enabled determination of the location of the source. Third generation NOSS accomplish the same using pairs of satellites," said Ted Molczan, a satellite-tracking hobbyist.

Thursday's launch was the fifth for this current breed of NOSS featuring satellite duos instead of the previous trio arrangement. Atlas rockets have deployed this generation over the past decade beginning with two missions from Vandenberg that went up in 2001 and 2003 aboard Atlas 2AS vehicles, then two flights from Cape Canaveral that flew on the Atlas 3B in 2005 and an Atlas 5 in 2007.