{"id":16089,"date":"2015-09-02T19:55:27","date_gmt":"2015-09-02T11:55:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/recap-story-atlas-5-completes-heavy-duty-launch-assignment\/"},"modified":"2015-09-02T19:55:27","modified_gmt":"2015-09-02T11:55:27","slug":"recap-story-atlas-5-completes-heavy-duty-launch-assignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/recap-story-atlas-5-completes-heavy-duty-launch-assignment\/","title":{"rendered":"Recap story: Atlas 5 completes heavy-duty launch assignment"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_8752\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8752\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8752\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/av_muos4_l7-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: ULA\" width=\"620\" height=\"414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/av_muos4_l7-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/av_muos4_l7-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/av_muos4_l7-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/av_muos4_l7.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8752\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: ULA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>CAPE CANAVERAL \u2014 In a breath-taking display at daybreak today, an Atlas rocket powered an enormous U.S. Navy satellite into space to close the last remaining gap and give global reach to the military\u2019s new mobile communications system.<\/p>\n<p>At about 15,000 pounds, the Mobile User Objective System satellite No. 4 was a mere 60 pounds lighter than the all-time heaviest Atlas cargo, a mark set earlier this year with MUOS 3.<\/p>\n<p>It required the highest-performing Atlas 5 rocket in the stable to do the lifting this morning, powering off the launch pad on two-and-a-half million pounds of thrust from the kerosene-fueled main engine and five strap-on solid boosters.<\/p>\n<p>Liftoff came at 6:18 a.m. EDT (1018 GMT) to cap an overnight countdown at the Cape, adding yet another flight to the Atlas\u2019 string of 23 consecutive missions to fuel-and-launch on the first attempt.<\/p>\n<p>Three hours later, after three firings by the Centaur upper stage, the silver and black satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, was released into space to complete the 56th Atlas 5 ascent and the 127th successful Atlas program launch in a row spanning more than two decades.<\/p>\n<p>It also marked United Launch Alliance\u2019s 99th successful flight since December 2006, the eighth this year and third for the U.S. military in just the past six weeks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpace launch is an inherently risky enterprise and we must never become complacent. Many thousands of things need to go right during the launch and we don\u2019t get a second chance once the rocket lifts off,\u201d said Dr. Walt Lauderdale, MUOS 4 mission director from the Air Force\u2019s Space and Missile Systems Center.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mCJv7n3yuqM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Destined for geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles high, MUOS 4 will enter service over the Indian Ocean. It is the last piece needed in the Navy\u2019s constellation of strategically-placed satellites that now will offer coverage around the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis fourth launch represents the completion of the operational constellation of the MUOS capability\u2026Once we have this satellite in position and operational, we will have worldwide coverage for MUOS,\u201d said Navy Capt. Joe Kan, MUOS program manager.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis narrowband system is critical for warfighting missions. Narrowband communications is used by every combatant commander, every ship, submarine and aircraft, and on ground vehicles as well as troops in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fifth and final MUOS launch \u2014 an on-orbit spare satellite \u2014 is scheduled for July 2016 on Atlas. It, too, will be positioned over the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n<p>MUOS 1 was launched Feb. 24, 2012 aboard an Atlas 5 and serves as the Pacific Ocean satellite. MUOS 2 launched July 19, 2013 aboard another Atlas 5 and serves as the continental U.S. satellite. MUOS No. 3 went up atop an Atlas 5 on Jan. 20 to cover the Atlantic Ocean region.<\/p>\n<p>MUOS is the nation\u2019s next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system, providing 3G cellphone features to warfighters on the move.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really providing a smartphone-like service to troops all over the world. It enables them to talk, text and share mission data seamlessly,\u201d said Army Col. Jim Ross, program manager for tactical radios.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt gives that reach for any soldier to talk to the higher headquarters no matter where they are or where they are challenged in terms of operating environments \u2014 mountains, jungles or urban environments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving experienced the MUOS voice communications, it is better than your cellphone,\u201d said Iris Bombelyn, Lockheed Martin\u2019s vice president for narrowband communications.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8754\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8754\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-8754\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/av_muos4_l11-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Launch occurred at 6:18 a.m. Photo: ULA\" width=\"620\" height=\"930\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/av_muos4_l11-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/av_muos4_l11-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/av_muos4_l11-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/av_muos4_l11.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8754\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Launch occurred at 6:18 a.m. Photo: ULA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Eight orbital raising burns are expected over the next eight days, followed by antenna and appendage deployments and then a test program that Lockheed Martin will perform. The military will take control of the satellite in about 90 days to conduct its own acceptance evaluation before the craft enters service.<\/p>\n<p>Up next for United Launch Alliance is the company\u2019s milestone-setting 100th flight. It will have an Atlas 5 rocket launching from Cape Canaveral on Oct. 2 for a purely commercial flight to deliver Mexico\u2019s Morelos 3 communications satellite into space. The launch window is 6:09 to 6:28 a.m. EDT.<\/p>\n<p>That will be followed six days later by another Atlas 5 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Oct. 8 with the classified National Reconnaissance Office NROL-55 payload. The unclassified launch period is 5 to 9 a.m. Pacific Time (8 a.m. to 12 noon EDT). The exact launch time is secret for now.<\/p>\n<p>The hectic October for Atlas 5 continues back at the Cape with the Global Positioning System 2F-11 navigation satellite. That launch is planned for Oct. 30 between 12:17 and 12:35 p.m. EDT.<\/p>\n<p>See earlier MUOS 4 coverage.<\/p>\n<p>Our Atlas archive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo: ULA CAPE CANAVERAL \u2014 In a breath-taking display at daybreak today, an Atlas rocket powered an enormous U.S. Navy satellite into space to close the last remaining gap and give global reach to the military\u2019s new mobile communications system. At about 15,000 pounds, the Mobile User Objective System satellite No. 4 was a mere [&hellip;]<\/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":[724,3968,25,472,3536,3537,3969,3539],"class_list":["post-16089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-atlas-5","tag-av-056","tag-launch","tag-lockheed-martin","tag-mobile-user-objective-system","tag-muos","tag-muos-4","tag-navy"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16089"}],"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=16089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16089\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}