Atlas V Rocket Launch

Photo: Craig Bailey, Florida Today

Atlas V rocket lifts off with Mexican satellite - An Atlas V rocket blasted off  coming from  Cape Canaveral Air  The load  Station  in  6:28 a.m. Friday, lifting  an  Mexican government communications satellite  in the direction of  orbit  with  United  advantages  Alliance’s 100th mission.

The rocket bolted  coming from   introduction  Complex 41  inside  1.6  mil  pounds  associated with  thrust, lighting up  a  low deck  connected with  clouds  before  shooting  in the course of   in to  darkness.

Atop  your own  20-story rocket  was   your  Morelos-3 satellite,  the  third  connected with  three  acquired   from  Boeing  to help   application  Mexico’s $1  billion dollars  Mexsat constellation.

The Atlas V  benefits  came less  than   several  months  immediately after   ones  second Mexsat satellite, named Centenario,  was  lost  throughout   a great  failed Proton rocket  benefits   coming from  Kazakhstan.

Morelos-3  are  scheduled  in order to   end up being  deployed  two  hours  AS WELL AS  52 minutes  immediately after  liftoff,  in   a  trajectory  of which   place   The item  22,300 miles  over the  equator.

The  launch  came  immediately after   a great  dramatic hold  within  less  as compared to   the  minute left  on the  countdown  While   a  boat strayed  in to   your  hazard area.

Instead  involving   on the  opening  involving  Friday’s 20-minute window, liftoff came  for the  end  regarding  it.

“It  just   added  excitement  to the  mission,” said Omar Charfen,  your own  Mexsat  method  manager,  while in  ULA’s  introduction  Webcast. “It’s  an   prolonged  flight,  thus   i  still need  in order to  wait until  your current  end.”

The mission  would be the  57th  through   a great  Atlas V  since   their  debut  within  2002.

Two  further  Atlas Vs  incase   launch   this  month,  just like   a good  national  stability  satellite targeting  a great  liftoff  after that  Thursday morning  from  Vandenberg Air  The load  Base  inside  California.  benefits   of the  Global Positioning  system  satellite  from  Cape Canaveral  is  planned  for the  end  of an  month.

United  benefits  Alliance  is really a  joint venture owned  via  Boeing  ALONG WITH  Lockheed Martin,  which  merged  it\'s  Atlas  AND  Delta rocket fleets  within  December 2006.

The Colorado-based  corporation   offers   an  near-perfect  advantages   Log   since  then, but  will be   birth   the  overhaul  to be able to  phase out  UTILIZE   of an  Atlas V’s Russian main engine  AND ALSO   down   fees   to help  compete  with  SpaceX  AS WELL AS  international competitors  in the  commercial  advantages  market.

ULA  features  begun developing  your  new Vulcan rocket,  of which   The idea  hopes  is usually  ready  to  fly  to its   primary   date   in  2019.