{"id":14062,"date":"2018-01-18T21:20:37","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T13:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/atlas-5-sbirs-geo-flight-4-launch-timeline\/"},"modified":"2018-01-18T21:20:37","modified_gmt":"2018-01-18T13:20:37","slug":"atlas-5-sbirs-geo-flight-4-launch-timeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/atlas-5-sbirs-geo-flight-4-launch-timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlas 5\/SBIRS GEO Flight 4 launch timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: Updated for new launch attempt on Jan. 19.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the launch timeline to be followed by the Atlas 5 rocket\u2019s ascent into orbit from Cape Canaveral with the SBIRS GEO Flight 4 satellite for U.S. military infrared reconnaissance. Launch is scheduled for Friday at 7:48 p.m. EST (0048 GMT Saturday).<\/p>\n

The Atlas 5 has a 40-minute window for takeoff Friday night, and the 189-foot-tall rocket will arc to the east from Florida\u2019s Space Coast on its first flight of the year. It will be the 75th Atlas 5 launch overall since United Launch Alliance\u2019s workhorse rocket debuted in August 2002.<\/p>\n

The timeline below ends with the conclusion of the primary mission, the deployment of the SBIRS GEO Flight 4 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. The Centaur\u2019s RL10 engine will ignite a third time at T+plus 1 hour, 14 minutes,  17 seconds, for a planned 10-second de-orbit burn to steer the rocket back into Earth\u2019s atmosphere, ensuring it does not add to space debris in orbit.<\/p>\n

The Centaur is expected to re-enter over the Pacific Ocean, with most of it burning up in the atmosphere around 9 hours, 25 minutes, after liftoff.<\/p>\n

Follow live coverage of the countdown and launch in our Mission Status Center.<\/p>\n

T+00:01.1 Liftoff<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nWith the RD-180 main engine running, the Atlas 5 vehicle lifts off and begins a vertical rise away from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.<\/p>\n

T+00:1:09: Max Q<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nThe Atlas 5 rocket, after breaking the sound barrier at 58 seconds, passes through the region of maximum dynamic pressure during ascent through the lower atmosphere.<\/p>\n

T+02:20.5 Jettison SRB<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nHaving burned out of propellant approximately 50 seconds earlier, the spent solid rocket booster is jettisoned once dynamic pressure conditions are satisfied.<\/p>\n

T+04:03.3 Main Engine Cutoff<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nThe RD-180 main engine completes its firing after consuming its kerosene and liquid oxygen fuel supply in the Atlas first stage.<\/p>\n

T+04:09.3 Stage Separation<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nThe Common Core Booster first stage of the Atlas 5 rocket separates from the Centaur upper stage. Over the next few seconds, the Centaur engine liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen systems are readied for ignition.<\/p>\n

+04:19.2 Centaur Ignition 1<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nThe Centaur RL10C-1 engine ignites for the first of two upper stage firings. This burn will inject the Centaur stage and SBIRS spacecraft into an initial parking orbit.<\/p>\n

T+04:27.3 Nose Cone Jettison<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nThe payload fairing that protected the SBIRS GEO Flight 4 spacecraft during launch is separated after passage through the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

T+13:49.9 Centaur Cutoff 1<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nThe Centaur engine shuts down after arriving in a planned low-Earth parking orbit. The vehicle enters a 10-minute coast period before arriving at the required location in space for the second burn.<\/p>\n

T+24:16.8 Centaur Ignition 2<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nA final push by Centaur is ignited to raise the orbit\u2019s low point and reduce orbital inclination for the SBIRS GEO Flight 4 spacecraft.<\/p>\n

T+29:18.6 Centaur Cutoff 2<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nThe powered phase of flight is concluded as the Centaur reaches the planned geosynchronous transfer orbit of 115 by 22,276 statute miles and inclined at 16.88 degrees.<\/p>\n

T+42:31.6 Spacecraft Separation<\/strong>
\n\"\"
\nThe SBIRS GEO Flight 4 missile warning sentinel is released into orbit from the Centaur upper stage to complete the launch.<\/p>\n

See earlier SBIRS GEO Flight 4 coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: Updated for new launch attempt on Jan. 19. This is the launch timeline to be followed by the Atlas 5 rocket\u2019s ascent into orbit from Cape Canaveral with the SBIRS GEO Flight 4 satellite for U.S. military infrared reconnaissance. Launch is scheduled for Friday at 7:48 p.m. EST (0048 GMT Saturday). The Atlas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2301,724,3058,1708,25,2206,472,3059],"class_list":["post-14062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-a2100","tag-atlas-5","tag-av-076","tag-complex-41","tag-launch","tag-launch-timeline","tag-lockheed-martin","tag-sbirs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14062"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14062\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}