Author Topic: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B OTV-4) - May 20, 2015 to May 7, 2017 - UPDATES  (Read 191903 times)

Online ZachS09

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #20 on: 03/23/2015 04:42 pm »
AV-054 is the tail/serial number. This manifest link shows almost all tail/serial numbers through 2019:

http://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/atlas5manifest-646x1024.jpg

NROL-101?  Seems like they skipped lots of numbers...
Yes, they never seem to launch in numerical sequence. NROL-1 launched years after many NRO missions so this is to be expected.

NROL-1 launched in August 2004; the first ever NRO mission launched in December 1996 and was designated NROL-2.
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Offline Star One

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #21 on: 03/23/2015 05:11 pm »
I wonder at what point before launch we'll learn if this is definitely an X-37B or not.

Online ZachS09

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #22 on: 03/23/2015 08:18 pm »
It's either an X-37B or the next two GSSAP satellites. Which of these two will be the real AFSPC-5 payload alongside LightSail-A?
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Offline vapour_nudge

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #23 on: 03/24/2015 02:42 am »
I wouldn't expect a GSSAP mission to require a 5m fairing so my money is on the OTV. Happy to be wrong though.

Online ZachS09

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #24 on: 03/24/2015 12:48 pm »
I wouldn't expect a GSSAP mission to require a 5m fairing so my money is on the OTV. Happy to be wrong though.

Me too. I'm betting my life savings on "X-37B OTV-4".
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Offline vapour_nudge

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #25 on: 03/27/2015 11:52 pm »
I wouldn't expect a GSSAP mission to require a 5m fairing so my money is on the OTV. Happy to be wrong though.

Me too. I'm betting my life savings on "X-37B OTV-4".
Your savings are safe - check out the mission artwork at the site:
http://www.ulalaunch.com/uploads/images/AFSPC5_MssnArt_Sml.jpg


Atlas V to Launch AFSPC-5 for the Air Force


ULA Atlas V AFSPC-5 Mission ArtworkRocket/Payload: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 501 will launch the AFSPC-5 mission for the U.S. Air Force.

Date/Site/Launch Time: Wednesday, May 6, from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Mission Description: This mission will be launched in support of the national defense.

Launch Notes: AFSPC-5 marks ULA’s 96th mission since the company was founded in 2006 and the fifth ULA launch of 2015. AFSPC-5 also will be the 54th Atlas V launch since the vehicle’s inaugural mission in 2002.

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch.


Go Atlas! Go Centaur! Go AFSPC-5!
« Last Edit: 03/28/2015 12:02 am by vapour_nudge »

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #26 on: 03/28/2015 12:19 am »
Interesting it's a night view of North America with all the light pollution added in for effect. Any idea what the significance of 11 stars is?
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Offline russianhalo117

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #27 on: 03/28/2015 12:53 am »
Interesting it's a night view of North America with all the light pollution added in for effect. Any idea what the significance of 11 stars is?
AFAIK its the number of AFSPC payloads orbited counting this launch, with the largest one being this flight.
« Last Edit: 03/28/2015 01:04 am by russianhalo117 »

Offline vapour_nudge

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #28 on: 03/28/2015 03:23 am »
The original listed number of small sats for the ELana X1 mission was 4. I can only find one listed now, Lightsail which is part of Ultrasat. Does anyone have further info on the cubesats on board (if there are indeed any others)
http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CSLI_selections.html#2014

Offline Star One

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #29 on: 03/28/2015 08:45 am »
Why are still referring to this purely as AFSPC-5 as we can clearly see it's the X-37B, but not one mention in that presser?

He said pedantically.:)
« Last Edit: 03/28/2015 08:46 am by Star One »

Offline vapour_nudge

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #30 on: 03/28/2015 08:53 am »

Offline Star One

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #31 on: 03/28/2015 08:58 am »
It just seems odd that's all.

Offline Skyrocket

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #32 on: 03/28/2015 10:01 am »
The original listed number of small sats for the ELana X1 mission was 4. I can only find one listed now, Lightsail which is part of Ultrasat. Does anyone have further info on the cubesats on board (if there are indeed any others)
http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CSLI_selections.html#2014


NASA's ELANA XI consits of only one 3U cubesat (Lightsail A). All other cubesats (total of 21U) in the Ultrasat deployer are non NASA. I have no info by now, what the others are.

Offline Star One

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #33 on: 03/31/2015 03:07 pm »
New Spaceflight Now article. Seems the Air Force has yet to confirm which of the two vehicles they will be using on this flight. Going from the quotes below makes it sound like there could be some undisclosed differences between the two vehicles.

Quote
“The program selects the Orbital Test Vehicle for each activity based upon the experiment objectives,” said Capt. Chris Hoyler, an Air Force spokesperson.

“Each OTV mission builds upon previous on-orbit demonstrations and expands the test envelope of the vehicle.  The test mission furthers the development of the concept of operations for reusable space vehicles.”

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/03/30/mysterious-mini-spaceplane-the-next-atlas-5-payload/
« Last Edit: 03/31/2015 03:12 pm by Star One »

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #34 on: 03/31/2015 04:06 pm »
New Spaceflight Now article. Seems the Air Force has yet to confirm which of the two vehicles they will be using on this flight. Going from the quotes below makes it sound like there could be some undisclosed differences between the two vehicles.

Quote
“The program selects the Orbital Test Vehicle for each activity based upon the experiment objectives,” said Capt. Chris Hoyler, an Air Force spokesperson.

“Each OTV mission builds upon previous on-orbit demonstrations and expands the test envelope of the vehicle.  The test mission furthers the development of the concept of operations for reusable space vehicles.”

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/03/30/mysterious-mini-spaceplane-the-next-atlas-5-payload/
Yes, Boeing has stated before that after the first one flew some enhancements and optimizations were made. The first vehicle will see those added over time.

Online ZachS09

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #35 on: 03/31/2015 04:10 pm »
The second vehicle should fly this time to equalize its logged missions with the first vehicle. By the time OTV-4 is done and the second vehicle was chosen to fly it, both vehicles would have flown two missions each.
« Last Edit: 03/31/2015 08:00 pm by longdrivechampion102 »
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Offline Star One

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #36 on: 03/31/2015 07:19 pm »
What do people think to the suggestion that's been made that the X-37B is as much psyop as anything else.

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #37 on: 03/31/2015 11:39 pm »
While more has been spent on other things for less effect, it still would be a fairly expensive for limited benefit. Not buying the psyop angle.
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Offline Star One

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #38 on: 04/01/2015 08:14 am »

While more has been spent on other things for less effect, it still would be a fairly expensive for limited benefit. Not buying the psyop angle.

I believe there might be an element of this in this usage I suspect it's not its primary purpose.

Offline vapour_nudge

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Re: LIVE: Atlas V 501- AFSPC-05 (X-37B) - May 20, 2015
« Reply #39 on: 04/01/2015 08:54 am »
FWIW I am guessing it is for testing of new technology, maybe even testing hi res imaging techniques or mirror technology and perhaps even testing off the shelf technology to see how long and how well it works for in the space environment. But I do think there'd be an element of not telling anyone to "keep 'em guessing" and also to simply imply there is more going on than perhaps there really is.


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