Author Topic: LIVE: ULA Delta IV-M+(4,2) - GPS IIF-9 - March 25, 2015 (18:36 UTC)  (Read 59222 times)

Offline sts126

Thanks to all who posted to this thread for launch. As I am in china, limited access to ula web site so I was able to follow this launch  here.  Well done Chris B and Kim.  looking forward to write up on this!
Don't worry ... it IS Rocket Science. Dark matter somewhere in the house, just can't find it now.

Offline catdlr

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[Delta IV] Launch of Delta IV Rocket with GPS IIF-9 Satellite

Published on Mar 25, 2015
An all American Delta IV Medium rocket successfully launched today, March 25th 2015 at 18:36 UTC, 14:36 Local time from Cape Canaveral. The rocket carried the GPS IIF-9 satellite into orbit.

Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Online ZachS09

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Only two more Delta IV rockets to launch in 2015. One from the Cape and the other from Vandenberg in that order.
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Offline catdlr

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[Delta IV] Assembly Mission Highlights of GPS IIF-9 & Delta IV Rocket

Published on Mar 25, 2015
See the final steps of assembly for the GPS IIF-9 mission on a Delta IV medium rocket.


Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Offline sts126

I flip it for you Jim;
thanks for conversion so i could play on ipad!
Don't worry ... it IS Rocket Science. Dark matter somewhere in the house, just can't find it now.

Offline Alpha Control

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Closer than Kim's photos.

Very nice. Great audio, too.
Space launches attended:
Antares/Cygnus ORB-D1 Wallops Island, VA Sept 2013 | STS-123 KSC, FL March 2008 | SpaceShipOne Mojave, CA June 2004

Online Galactic Penguin SST

Spacecraft separation has been confirmed apparently.
Astronomy & spaceflight geek penguin. In a relationship w/ Space Shuttle Discovery. Current Priority: Chasing the Chinese Spaceflight Wonder Egg & A Certain Chinese Mars Rover

Online Chris Bergin

Yep. Success:

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. (March 25, 2015) A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket successfully launched the ninth Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite for the U.S. Air Force at 2:36 p.m. EDT today from Space Launch Complex-37. This is ULA’s fourth launch in 2015 and the 95th successful launch since the company was formed in December 2006.

 

United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches Second

Mission in Less than Two Weeks

 

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., (March 25, 2015) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket successfully launched the ninth Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite for the U.S. Air Force at 2:36 p.m. EDT today from Space Launch Complex-37. This is ULA’s fourth launch in 2015 and the 95th successful launch since the company was formed in December 2006.

“Congratulations to the Air Force and all of our mission partners on today’s successful launch of GPS IIF-9! The ULA team is privileged to work with this world-class U.S. government and contractor mission team, and we are proud to contribute to the GPS capabilities that were delivered to orbit today,” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Atlas and Delta Programs. “This entire team is focused on 100 percent mission success, one launch at a time, and also providing on-time launches to meet our customer’s mission needs.”

This mission was launched aboard a Delta IV Medium-plus (4,2) configuration Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) using a single ULA common booster core powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 main engine, along with two Orbital ATK GEM-60 solid rocket motors. The upper stage was powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10B-2 engine with the satellite encapsulated in a four-meter-diameter composite payload fairing.

GPS IIF-9 is the ninth in a series of next generation GPS satellites and will join the GPS worldwide timing and navigation system utilizing 24 satellites in six different planes, with a minimum of four satellites per plane positioned in orbit approximately 11,000 miles above the Earth’s surface. The GPS IIF series provides improved accuracy and enhanced performance for GPS users.

ULA's next launch is the Atlas V AFSPC-5 mission for the United States Air Force, scheduled for May 6 from Space Launch Complex-41 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The EELV program was established by the United States Air Force to provide assured access to space for Department of Defense and other government payloads. The commercially developed EELV program supports the full range of government mission requirements, while delivering on schedule and providing significant cost savings over the heritage launch systems.

With more than a century of combined heritage, United Launch Alliance is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 90 satellites to orbit that provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, enable personal device-based GPS navigation and unlock the mysteries of our solar system.
« Last Edit: 03/25/2015 09:12 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline Rocket Science

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Congrats to all the teams, well done! :)
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
~Rob: Physics instructor, Aviator

Online ZachS09

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For now until 2017, Delta kisses the GPS satellites goodbye.
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Online Galactic Penguin SST

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Offline Mark McCombs

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Congrats to ULA et al. for another successful launch.   8)
"Are you sure you want to go to Red Alert, Sir? It does mean changing the bulb." - Kryten
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory". LLAP - Leonard Nimoy

Online Galactic Penguin SST

« Last Edit: 03/26/2015 05:28 am by Galactic Penguin SST »
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Offline Lars-J

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GoPros!



Wow, that thing really flew off the pad!  :o  Congrats on a great flight!

Online Lewis007

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GPS IIF-9 (SVN-71/PRN-26, USA-260) will replace SVN-35 (launched in August 1993) in the B plane slot 1F.
source: http://gpsworld.com/gps-iif-9-launches-wednesday/

I watched the launch (my first!) from one of the bridges over the Banana River where the LISATS people (www.lisats.org) were doing their thing.

I've attached a couple of photos I took and posted some more on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/40692797@N06/sets/72157651154896630/

I also posted a video on YouTube at

Cheers!

Online Chris Bergin

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Online Chris Bergin

Closer than Kim's photos.

Only just noticed that.

Florida: When you hear a rumble, pull over and watch.  Amazing coming through the clouds!
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Offline jacqmans

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Orbital ATK Contributions Vital to Successful Launch of ULA's Delta IV Rocket


ULA Delta IV Launch Vehicle Lofts GPS IIF-9 Satellite Into Orbit for U.S. Air Force
GPS IIF-9 First of Three GPS Satellites to be Launched in 2015



(Dulles, Virginia 26 March 2015) – Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE: OA) technologies played a crucial role in Wednesday’s successful launch of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the on-orbit operation of a new Boeing GPS IIF satellite. The satellite will provide improved accuracy, signal strength and quality to America’s warfighters, allies and civil users worldwide.

Orbital ATK’s contributions to the Delta IV and GPS IIF include cutting-edge technologies from across the company. In addition to the state-of-the art solar arrays and other critical components on the GPS IIF satellite, contributions include the two Graphite Epoxy Motors-60 (GEM-60), large composite structures and the main engine nozzle.

“Orbital ATK’s contributions to the Delta IV GPS IIF-9 mission are prime examples of the affordable, innovative and reliable products we offer,” said Ron Grabe, President of Orbital ATK’s Flight Systems Group. “These products are crucial to our nation and millions of GPS users around the world.”

ULA’s Delta family of launch vehicles has been lifting high-priority government and commercial payloads to orbit for more than 50 years. This launch marks the 371st Delta rocket since 1960 and the 29th Delta IV since 2002. It also marks the 69th GPS satellite launch and the 55th to use a Delta rocket.

The Delta IV medium-plus rocket flew in a configuration featuring two Orbital ATK commercial GEM-60 solid rocket motors produced in Magna, Utah. These motors boast a flawless record and are the 43rd and 44th GEM-60s to fly. Their 90 seconds of flight time and 560,000 pounds of thrust boosted the 371st Delta vehicle into the sky.

The nozzle for the launch vehicle’s RS-68 engine was designed and manufactured at Orbital ATK’s facility in Promontory, Utah. The nozzle design includes an Orbital ATK-developed thermal protection material that is capable of shielding the nozzle from the extreme heat of launch when external temperatures can exceed 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
The Delta IV composite structures manufactured by Orbital ATK provide higher performance with lower weight and include:

• The GEM cases, manufactured using advanced wet winding techniques at Orbital ATK’s Clearfield, Utah facility.
• The fairing, payload attach fitting and diaphragm, interstage, centerbody and thermal shield, all produced using advanced hand layup, machining and inspection techniques at Orbital ATK’s Iuka, Mississippi facility.

For the GPS IIF-9 satellite, Orbital ATK provided a host of products and services:

• Orbital ATK’s Goleta, California facility designed and manufactured the satellite solar arrays and a deployment boom. Orbital ATK has achieved 100 percent on-orbit success on all solar arrays and deployable systems delivered and launched to date.
• Orbital ATK’s San Diego, California facility manufactured the composite solar array substrates.
• Orbital ATK’s Commerce, California, facility had responsibility for the ullage tank assembly, including the blankets, heaters, thermistors and pressurant lines. This tank is a spherical vessel constructed of titanium.
• Orbital ATK’s Beltsville, Maryland facility provided heat pipes for the GPS IIF equipment and radiator panels.
• Orbital ATK’s Rancho Bernardo, California facility performed final assembly and RF (Radio Frequency) testing of the antenna suite for GPS IIF between 2003 and 2010.

ULA will deliver two more GPS IIF satellites into orbit this year, and then another in early 2016 to complete the IIF series. These satellites will be delivered into medium-Earth orbits and will circle the globe every 12 hours, providing critical Navstar positioning, velocity, and timing assets fully functional until the next-generation GPS Block IIIA comes online in 2016. In addition to their civilian usage, the Block IIF satellites boast enhanced accuracy, reprogrammable processors, interference-free signals for commercial aviation, search and rescue capability, and a new Military code that is better resistant to electronic jamming.
Jacques :-)


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