Atlas V launch tonight--watch live!

TangoWhiskey

TangoWhiskey

Touchdown! Greaser!
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3Green
Sorry for the late notice but this might be of interest to some of you. The Orbital Express Satellite is scheduled to launch tonight from the cape. If all goes well it will launch at 6:37 PST, although the launch window is open until 9:42pm PST.

Launch countdown updates are available at http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av013/status.html

You can see a live webcast here
http://www.ulalaunch.com/index_webcast.html

Its 2 small satellites that are launched together then after orbit insertion they will separate and rejoin. Testing the capability to autonomously dock and change out hardware using robotic arms and fluid transfers to validate the ability to transfer fuel. This will pave the way for on orbit servicing of satellites, which will give satellites longer on orbit life.

Boeing was the prime contractor on this program. Ball Aerospace built one of the satellites and Boeing, Huntington Beach built the other. They were tested in Huntington Beach before being sent to the cape for launch.
 
14 minutes to launch if all goes as planned. There is a RF situation in the airspace (Red Flag); they're checking to find out why. Hope someone didn't violate the TFR.

EDIT: Issue was Naval activity in the Atlantic using radio freq's in the 21MHz band that would have interfered with the abort/destroy message system. Launch delayed to 0300UTC (10:00P EST). 20 minutes to go now.
 
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Where are you now Scott? I'm going outside at about 30 seconds into flight. I can usually see launches pretty well from here. BTW, thanks Troy!
 
I am over in Bradenton. I have seen the shuttle and a Titan from over here when they get high enough in the sky, that is usually about 1 minute after liftoff.

BTW I just noticed that they are launching from complex 41. Atlas must have moved from their old area as complex 40 and 41 used to be part of the ITL for Titan. I knew they deconstructed the ITL area and blew up the gantries at 40/41. I guess this is the new launch complex they built there. Lord knows they needed it. The old Atlas centaur area was from the 1960's
 
Just got another "no go" due to RF interference (btw, that's Radio Frequency, not Red Flag)
 
Troy Whistman said:
No. And it's 421 MHz, not 21, as I said earlier. I guess they don't want somebody inadvertantly blowing up their rocket!
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The rocket won't just blow up. The fear is that if the RSO needs to blow it up the signal will not be heard by the rocket because of the interference. I saw one rocket blown up when I worked there. It was the fist Pershing 2 missile. I was walking into the caf. for lunch when it launched. So I stopped to watch it go up. It veered off course and then BLAM! down it came. I was not sure what I was supposed to do. Turned out nothing was the right answer.
 
That was awesome, thanks for reminding me Troy.

The voice over guy said it was the first EVER Atlas V, you're right. Very cool
 
Very cool! I saw it come up towards the SSE through the trees in my backyard. It was distinctly red in color as opposed to the bright yellow of the shuttles SRB's. I lost sight of it when it was due east of here at about 15-18 degrees above the horizon. Thanks a bunch for the heads up Troy! :):)
 
Look at the bright light!!!

Nice. Yes that is the first Atlas/Centaur 5. Atlas and Centaur are programs form the 50's and 60's. The two boosters were mated together decades ago for medium payload launches. I believe the Atlas is the longest used booster ever! The Atlas is the same booster as in Mercury/Atlas that was used in the early 60's for the orbital maned Mercury missions.
 
Frank Browne said:
Very cool! I saw it come up towards the SSE through the trees in my backyard. It was distinctly red in color as opposed to the bright yellow of the shuttles SRB's. I lost sight of it when it was due east of here at about 15-18 degrees above the horizon. Thanks a bunch for the heads up Troy! :):)
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No problem! I would have loved to have seen it from your vantage point!
 
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