Fwd: Atlas V Launches NROL-39

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From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: December 6, 2013 10:30:50 AM CST
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Atlas V Launches NROL-39

ATLAS V LAUNCHED FROM VANDENBERG

Posted 12/6/2013   Updated 12/6/2013

Release Number: 041213

12/6/2013 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.  -- A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload launched by Team Vandenberg from Space Launch Complex-3 here Thursday at 11:14:30 PST.

Col. Keith Balts, 30th Space Wing commander, was the launch decision authority.

"This was our eleventh launch for 2013 and I couldn't be more proud of this team of professionals," said Balts. "This new capability represents our commitment to enhanced competitive launch services in support of national defense."

 

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Atlas 5 rocket carrying NRO spysat blasts off

12/06/2013 01:49 AM 

By WILLIAM HARWOOD
CBS News

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket roared to life and climbed away from its California launch pad overnight Thursday, kicking off a classified mission to boost a National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite into orbit.

The powerful Russian-designed RD-180 engine at the base of the Atlas 5 ignited and throttled up at 11:14 p.m. PST (GMT-8), generating 860,000 pounds of thrust and lighting up the night sky with torrent of flame.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite blasts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (Credit: ULA webcast)

The towering rocket slowly climbed away from Space Launch Complex 3E on the California coast northwest of Los Angeles and arced away on a southerly trajectory toward an orbit around Earth's poles. Such polar orbits are favored by imaging spy satellites because the spacecraft pass over the entire planet as it rotates below.

While the payload was classified, the mission logo painted on the side of the rocket's payload fairing showed an octopus, arms extended around planet Earth, above the phrase "Nothing is Beyond Our Reach."

The climb to space appeared to go smoothly but as usual with such classified missions, commentary and video tracking ended about three-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, before the rocket's hydrogen-fueled Centaur second stage engine ignited.

The National Reconnaissance Office does not reveal the nature of its major payloads, but veteran space observers speculated the satellite launched aboard the Atlas 5 was an imaging radar spacecraft capable of around-the-clock observations regardless of lighting or cloud cover.

Two other such Boeing-built Future Imagery Architecture -- FIA -- radar satellites are believed to have been launched in 2010 and 2012. Plans for state-of-the-art optical FIA spysats were scrapped in 2005 because of technical problems and higher-than-expected costs.

The Atlas 5 Centaur second stage also carried a dozen small CubeSats, or "nanosatellites," into space in a pair of dispensers. The small, cube-shaped satellites were designed to carry out a variety of science and technoloy demonstration investigations ranging from advanced communications research to space weather observations and materials science.

© 2011 William Harwood/CBS News 

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AmericaSpace

For a nation that explores
December 6th, 2013

Atlas V Successfully Launches Classified NROL-39 Payload Into Orbit for National Reconnaissance Office

By Ben Evans

 

The Atlas V successfully launches the classified NROL-39 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office at 11:14:30 p.m. PST Thursday, 5 December. Photo Credit: ULA, via Mike Barratt

Cloaked in secrecy and shrouded by the hours of darkness, United Launch Alliance (ULA) has successfully launched a payload into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), describing the NROL-39 mission as being "in support of national defense". The Atlas V rocket, which flew in its "501″ configuration—equipped with a 17.7-foot-diameter (5.4 meter) payload fairing, no strap-on boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage—lifted off at 11:14:30 p.m. PST Thursday, 5 December (2:14:30 a.m. EST Friday, 6 December) from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Although the precise nature of NROL-39 remains classified, it is widely believed to be the third member of the Future Imagery Architecture (FIA) constellation of radar-reconnaissance satellites, located in circular, 680-mile-high (1,100 km) orbits.

Following a smooth rollout of the 196-foot-tall (60 meter) Atlas V out to SLC-3, a flurry of activity ensued to establish pad connections, perform pneumatic and other checks and verify the performance of the vehicle's flight control systems. Status checks continued until late into the countdown, with liftoff moved back by about a minute from the original 11:13 p.m. target. Weather conditions at Vandenberg appeared iffy at the start of the day, with AmericaSpace's Launch Tracker noting at 9:46 a.m. PST that "the recommendation was to attempt the launch today", but that "the weather officer is only predicting a 20-percent chance of favorable weather at launch time", with major concerns centering on forecasted temperatures in the 35-40 Fahrenheit range at launch time. As the afternoon wore on, conditions steadily improved and were recorded as 60-percent favorable.

Accordingly, the six-hour and 20-minute countdown got underway at 4:53 p.m. EST, with the activation of the first flight control systems. This was followed by the start-up of ground command control and communications systems, verifying a good link between the Launch Control Center and the Atlas, and by 6:00 p.m. the preparations for fueling were underway, with inert gaseous nitrogen used to purge and condition the propellant lines. Two hours before the scheduled liftoff, at 9:13 p.m., the Launch Director polled the team and received a "Go" for tanking, with promptly got underway with the chilling-down and pressurization of the on-board tanks and fuel lines. A final weather briefing and consultations among launch personnel produced a slightly adjusted launch time of 11:14:30 p.m.

Cloaked by the hours of darkness, and by a near-total blackout of military secrecy, NROL-39 takes flight. Photo Credit: ULA, via Mike Barratt

By this stage, weather conditions had improved and the Air Force revised its forecast to announce a 0-percent chance of violations, with ground winds at 7 knots and high-level winds from the north-east. At T-4 minutes, following a unanimous "Go for Launch" from all stations, the countdown emerged from its final planned hold. The Atlas' propellant tanks were verified to be at their proper flight pressures and the Flight Termination System (FTS)—tasked with destroying the vehicle in the event of a major accident during ascent—was placed onto internal power and armed.

Two-and-a-half seconds ahead of liftoff, the first stage's Russian-built RD-180 engine—with a propulsive yield of 860,000 pounds (390,000 kg)—roared to life and climb-out from SLC-3 occurred at T+1.1 seconds. Shortly after clearing the tower, the Atlas executed a combined pitch, roll, and yaw program maneuver, which positioned it onto the proper flight azimuth for the insertion of the classified NROL-39 payload into orbit. Eighty-three seconds into the flight, with the RD-180 still burning hot and hard, the vehicle burst through the sound barrier. At around this time, the maximum aerodynamic stresses were experienced throughout the Atlas' airframe.

Three-and-a-half minutes after launch, the huge, two-piece payload fairing encapsulating NROL-39 was jettisoned, exposing it to the near-vacuum of space for the first time. Thursday night's launch was only the fifth time in Atlas V history that the vehicle has flown in its 501 configuration, having previously supported three flights of the U.S. Air Force's Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) mini-shuttle in April 2010, March 2011 and December 2012, as well as the NROL-41 mission—thought to be the first FIA satellite—in September 2010. The first stage engine provided the impetus for the first five minutes of the Atlas V's ascent and shortly after being jettisoned the restartable Centaur upper stage—powered by the RL-10 engine, with a total thrust of 25,000 pounds (11,340 kg) in a vacuum—picked up the baton to push NROL-39 into orbit.

Emblazoned with its fearsome octopus motif, which declares that "Nothing is Beyond our Reach", the NROL-39 payload and its bulbous fairing are prepared for integration with the Atlas V booster. Photo Credit: ULA

In readiness for Thursday's launch, the booster and payload hardware have been delivered quite literally from points all over the United States and elsewhere in the world. From ULA's own headquarters in Denver, Colo., to the launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and from the fabrication of the Centaur upper stage fuel tank in San Diego, to its final assembly in Decatur, Ala., and from the manufacturing of the RD-180 first-stage engine in Khimki, Russia, to the construction of the Atlas V payload fairing in Zurich, Switzerland, this most secretive of launches boasts the distinct flavour of many states and many nations. All of those elements converged on Vandenberg to be blasted into orbit.

With the exception of its name, little of substance is known about NROL-39, and ULA has noted only that its purpose is "in support of national defense". This mission is the second Atlas to fly from the West Coast in 2013, following February's launch of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM, also known as Landsat-8), and the second Atlas mission in only three weeks, coming hard on the heels of the flight of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 18 November. Overall, Thursday's planned launch will be the 11th flight conducted by ULA this year, from both Vandenberg and the Cape, eight of which have been conducted by the Atlas V and three by the Delta IV. Aside from Landsat-8 and MAVEN, the two rocket families have transported NASA's latest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-K), two Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIF satellites, a pair of Wideband Global Satcoms (WGS), a missile early-warning satellite, two military communications satellites and the classified NROL-65 reconnaissance payload atop the Delta IV Heavy.

In spite of these successes, it has been a troubled year for ULA, with the Delta IV officially grounded since October, due to ongoing investigations into the RL-10B2 upper stage engine. As noted by Mike Killian in a recent AmericaSpace article, the root of the problem can be traced back to a troubled launch in October 2012. Although the Delta successfully delivered its primary payload into orbit, it became apparent that something had gone awry with the performance. An "unexpected data signature" was identified when the Pratt & Whitney-built RL-10B2 experienced a period of reduced thrust. Fortunately, the vehicle's robust design, flight software, margins and propellant reserves enabled it to compensate for this difficulty and complete its mission.

In the wake of the anomaly, ULA and U.S. Air Force experts implemented a number of corrective actions, thoroughly inspecting engine systems for damage or the presence of "foreign objects" and recommended in-flight helium purges of critical components and changes to how the RL-10B2 is thermally conditioned during the early stages of ascent. The commonality of the engine to the RL-10A aboard the Atlas V meant that both rockets were grounded in late 2012, although an Atlas V 501 successfully delivered the third mission of the Air Force's Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-3) mini-shuttle into orbit in December. Whilst the Air Force continued with Phase II of its investigation into the engine problems, the Delta IV was finally cleared and returned to flight in May 2013.

However, in mid-October, as final preparations were underway for the launch of the GPS IIF-5 payload aboard a Delta IV, a delay was called. "The ongoing Phase II investigation has included extremely detailed characterization and reconstructions of the instrumentation signatures obtained from the October 2012 launch," explained ULA spokesperson Jessica Rye, "and these have recently resulted in some updated conclusions related to dynamic responses that occurred on the engine system during the first engine-start event." The time-critical Atlas V launch of the MAVEN spacecraft on its voyage to Mars in mid-November was apparently unaffected by the problems and according to Spaceflight Now the Delta IV mission is currently scheduled to fly no earlier than 12 December.

It has been speculated that NROL-39 may be the third member of the Boeing-built Future Imagery Architecture (FIA) constellation of radar-reconnaissance satellites, due in part to the apparent retrograde nature of its orbit and the 123-degree inclination already revealed by the Atlas V's secondary payload operators. The FIA was conceived in 1999 as the successor program to the Lacrosse imaging network, which saw five satellites launched—including one from the space shuttle—between 1988 and 2005. Significant cost and schedule overruns forced John Negroponte, then-Director of National Intelligence, to cancel its optical component in 2005, but the radar element continued under the code name of "Topaz."

Two FIA satellites have been launched to date: NROL-41 atop an Atlas V 501 in September 2010 and NROL-25 atop a Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) in April 2012, both of which currently reside in circular 680-mile-high (1,100 km) orbits. "This being the second Atlas V 501 launch from Vandenberg," noted Spaceflight 101 of the impending launch of NROL-39, "it is very likely that it is carrying the next FIA satellite," adding that "The 123-degree inclination has been confirmed by the secondary payload operators." Those secondary payload operators are responsible for 12 CubeSats which will also hitch a ride into space aboard the Atlas V and have been provided by the National Reconnaissance Office and through NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) program.

 

Copyright © 2013 AmericaSpace - All Rights Reserved

 

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Government spy satellite rockets into space on Atlas 5
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
December 6, 2013

A classified U.S. spy payload rocketed into orbit from California on an Atlas 5 launcher Thursday, joining the nation's eyes and ears in the sky to supply intelligence to the government's national security agencies.

The Atlas 5 rocket launched at 11:14:30 p.m. PST Thursday (0714:30 GMT; 2:14:30 a.m. EST Friday). Credit: Pat Corkery/United Launch Alliance
 
The satellite is owned by the National Reconnaissance Office, but government officials do not disclose the identities of the NRO's spacecraft, only saying the payload will serve national security purposes.

But independent satellite-watchers believe the spacecraft will join the NRO's fleet of spacecraft with radars to penetrate cloaks of clouds and darkness and reveal what adversaries are doing regardless of weather or time of day.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 11:14:30 p.m. PST Thursday (0714:30 GMT; 2:14:30 a.m. EST Friday), majestically rising into clear skies on a chilly night at the spaceport on California's rugged Central Coast.

The launcher's RD-180 main engine guided the rocket through the speed of sound and into the stratosphere in just a few minutes before the Atlas 5 shed its nose cone once it flew beyond the dense lower layers of the atmosphere.

At that moment, the progress of the launch was kept secret under the orders of the NRO.

Officials declared the launch a success several hours later, giving the Atlas 5 rocket a flawless record for the year with eight missions for NASA, the Defense Department and the NRO.

The Atlas 5 rocket flew in the "501" configuration with a five-meter payload fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a Centaur upper  stage with a single RL10 engine. Its nose cone is the medium-length version of the Swiss-built payload fairing, giving the rocket a total height of 206 feet.

The workhorse Atlas 5 launcher comes in different shapes and sizes, and ULA is able to adjust its capability based on the needs of each specific mission.

The exact version flown Thursday night from California has only launched once before.

In September 2010, a "501" variant of the Atlas 5 rocket with a medium-length fairing launched another classified satellite from Vandenberg for the NRO, which does not publicly release the orbits of its constellation of spacecraft.

But hobbyists have honed their ability to track satellites in orbit, watching them go overhead based on known launch trajectories and previous experience. With several observations, the hobbyists can estimate a satellite's orbital altitude and inclination, or the angle of the craft's ground track with the equator.

Thursday night's mission, officially dubbed NROL-39, launched on the same type of rocket and on a trajectory mirroring the September 2010 flight, which put its payload in an orbit nearly 700 miles up in a unique retrograde orbit traveling in the opposite direction of Earth's rotation.

Analysts concluded the September 2010 launch put up the first spacecraft in a new-generation fleet of NRO radar imaging satellites. A Delta 4 rocket launched in April 2012 into a nearly identical orbit, adding a second satellite to the system.

According to top secret budget documents leaked by Edward Snowden and published by the Washington Post in August, the radar spy satellites are given the codename "Topaz" and replace a previous generation of radar-equipped "Onyx" spacecraft.

The budget document indicated five Topaz satellites are planned before transitioning to a "Block 2" line with upgrades. If the interpretation is correct, two more Topaz satellites remain to be launched before the NRO moves to a follow-on system.

Ted Molczan, an experienced amateur satellite watcher in Canada, believes Thursday's launch lofted the third radar satellite in the Topaz series.

"Am I convinced? I would say I am 80 percent confident NROL-39 is Topaz," said Jonathan McDowell, a scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who tracks global satellite and launch activity.

It is "always possible there is a one-off vehicle in a somewhat similar orbit. Let's see the amateurs pick it up and get its orbit, then we'll make a final conclusion," McDowell said before Thursday's launch.

The Topaz satellites are leftovers from the NRO's troubled Future Imagery Architecture program, which was scaled back after billions of dollars in cost overruns leading to the cancellation of advanced optical spy satellites.

The radar component of FIA, now known as Topaz, remained in place with Boeing as prime contractor.

After release of the Atlas 5's prime passenger, the Centaur was programmed to deploy 12 CubeSat secondary payloads built by the military, NASA and university students.

Sponsored by the NRO and NASA, the CubeSats each weigh less than 10 pounds, and some are as small as a hand. They include:

• AeroCube 5, a mission for the Aerospace Corp. to demonstrate new technologies for pointing and tracking between two CubeSats. AeroCube 5 will also record launch environment data such as pressure, temperature and vibration, as well as demonstrate a de-orbit device.
• ALICE, developed by the Air Force Institute of Technology, will test the performance of an advanced carbon nanotube array, which has great potential for smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient satellite propulsion.
• Four satellites for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command -- SNaP, TacSat 6 and two SMDC-ONE -- will test advanced nanosatellite communications technologies.
• CUNYSAT 1, developed by Medgar Evans College at the City University of New York, serves as an educational tool for students and will observe Earth's ionosphere.
• IPEX, or the Intelligent Payload Experiment, was provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Cal Poly. Carrying several low-resolution cameras, IPEX will validate several technologies for future NASA Earth observation missions, including autonomous on-board data processing, direct downlink operations, and automated ground operations.
• MCubed 2, developed by the University of Michigan, will demonstrate an advanced real-time high-data-rate instrument processing system for next-generation remote sensing missions. MCubed 2 is a reflight of a previous CubeSat which unintentionally became attached to another CubeSat, preventing it from transmitting data.
• FIREBIRD 1A and 1B, built by Montana State University's Space Science and Engineering Laboratory, will study microbursts in the outer Van Allen radiation belt. The two CubeSats were funded by the National Science Foundation.

The next flight for United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket is scheduled for Jan. 23 from Florida with NASA's next Tracking and Data Relay Satellite.  

 

© 2013 Spaceflight Now Inc.

 

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