Author Topic: ILS happy with their Atlas V (New Horizons)  (Read 3468 times)

Offline Chris Bergin

Press release.

    CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 19,
2006--An Atlas V vehicle provided by International Launch Services
(ILS) successfully propelled NASA's New Horizons spacecraft today on a
9-and-a-half-year mission to Pluto.
    The Atlas V-551 model lifted off at 2 p.m. EST. The vehicle's
RD-180 main engine plus five solid rocket boosters provided more than
2 million pounds of thrust, enabling the New Horizons observatory to
leave Earth orbit nearly 45 minutes later at a speed of around 10
miles per second.
    This was the most powerful Atlas vehicle launched to date, and the
78th consecutive successful launch for the Atlas series. ILS, a
Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) joint venture, markets launch services on
the Lockheed Martin-built Atlas vehicle. NASA's Kennedy Space Center
procured the launch under a long-term contract with ILS. This was ILS'
first launch of the year.
    "Today's launch once again demonstrates the capabilities and
flexibility of the Atlas V," said ILS President Mark Albrecht. "This
mission had a need for speed, so we provided our biggest and most
powerful vehicle. This was our seventh Atlas V flight, and the second
Atlas V mission for NASA. We're proud that Atlas vehicles of all
configurations have launched a total of 135 NASA missions."
    The New Horizons observatory is the first dedicated spacecraft to
explore Pluto and its moon Charon, at the outer reaches of our solar
system. The spacecraft is expected to arrive at its destination, 3
billion miles away, in 2015. It carries seven scientific instruments
designed to characterize the geology and environment of Pluto and
Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures and examine
Pluto's complex atmosphere.
    The Atlas V series is designed to lift payloads up to nearly 8,700
kg to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). It was developed both for
ILS commercial missions and to meet the U.S. Air Force requirements
for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV).
    The Atlas V incorporates state-of-the-art designs, materials and
processes, including the variable-thrust Russian-built RD-180 engine,
provided by RD-AMROSS, a joint venture of Pratt & Whitney in the
United States and Energomash of Russia.
    The Atlas rockets and their Centaur upper stages are built by
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. at facilities in Denver, Colo.;
Harlingen, Texas; and San Diego, Calif. Aerojet of Sacramento, Calif.,
provides the solid rocket boosters. Contraves of Geneva, Switzerland,
builds the 5-meter payload fairing.

    International Launch Services is the global leader in the space
launch industry, offering the two best launch systems: Atlas and
Proton. With a remarkable launch tempo, the Atlas and Proton launch
vehicles have consistently demonstrated the reliability and
flexibility that have made them preferred choice among satellite
operators worldwide. ILS, a Lockheed Martin joint venture, was formed
in 1995, and is based in McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C.
    Lockheed Martin, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., employs about
135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research,
design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced
technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported
2004 sales of $35.5 billion.
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