8/13/2023 0 Comments Space shuttle enterprise vafbUSAF X-37B orbital test vehicle poised for launch atop United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on on OTV-4 mission. It was originally developed by NASA but was transferred to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 2004. The 11,000 pound (4990 kg) state-of -the art reusable OTV space plane was built by Boeing and is about a quarter the size of a NASA space shuttle. But it is not known which of the two vehicles was launched today.Īltogether the two X-37B vehicles have spent a cumulative total of 1367 days in space during the first three OTV missions and successfully checked out the vehicles reusable flight, reentry and landing technologies. The OTV is somewhat like a miniature version of NASA’s space shuttles.īoeing has built two OTV vehicles. This was also ULA’s fifth launch in 2015 and the 96th successful launch since the company was formed in December 2006. Overall this was ULA’s sixth launch of the 501 configuration the 54th mission to launch on an Atlas V rocket. The Centaur continued firing separately with the CubeSat deployment, including the Planetary Society’s LightSail test demoonstration, into a different orbit later. The X-37B space plane was to separate from the Centaur about 19 minutes after liftoff. ![]() ![]() The Centaur upper stage was powered by the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-1 engine. The Atlas first stage booster for this mission was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine generating some 850,000 pounds of thrust and fired for approximately the first four and a half minutes of flight. The X-37B was carried to orbit by the Atlas V in its 501 configuration which includes a 5.4-meter-diameter payload fairing and no solid rocket motors. The two stage Atlas V stands 206 feet tall and weighs 757,000 pounds. Congratulations to the Air Force and all of our mission partners on today’s successful launch! The seamless integration between the Air Force, Boeing, and the entire mission team culminated in today’s successful launch of the AFSPC-5 mission” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Atlas and Delta Programs. “ULA is honored to launch this unique spacecraft for the U.S Air Force. It launches vertically like a satellite but lands horizontally like an airplane and functions as a reliable and reusable space test platform for the U.S. The Boeing-built X-37B is an unmanned reusable mini shuttle, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) and is flying on the OTV-4 mission. We’re very hopeful that the thing will deploy properly, the sunlight will hit it and we’ll get a push.” United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch of USAF X-37B orbital test vehicle on May 20, 2015. “It’s smaller than a shoebox, everybody! And the sail that will come out of it is super shiny mylar. “LightSail is comprised of three CubeSats that measure about 30 cm by 10 cm.” “The purpose of this LightSail demonstration test is to verify telemetry, return photos return and to test the deployment of the solar sails,” said Bill Nye, the Science Guy), and President of The Planetary Society, during the X-37B launch webcast. Photons from the sun should push on the solar sails. LightSail marks the first controlled, Earth orbit solar sail flight according to the non-profit Planetary Society. Naval Academy, the Aerospace Corporation, the Air Force Research Laboratory, California Polytechnic State University, and The Planetary Society. They are sponsored by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and NASA and were developed by the U.S. The Hall thruster is a type of electric propulsion device that produces thrust by ionizing and accelerating a noble gas, usually xenon.įollowing primary spacecraft separation the Centaur will change altitude and inclination in order to release the CubeSat spacecraft. They are contained in eight P-Pods from which they will be deployed in the coming days.Īlso aboard the X-37B is a NASA materials science experiment called METIS and an advanced Hall thruster experiment. The 10 CubeSats in ULTRASat are managed by the NRO and NASA. Together they are part of the National Reconnaissance Office’s (NRO’s) Ultra Lightweight Technology and Research Auxiliary Satellite (ULTRASat). Credit: Alex PolimeniĪmong the experiments for the flight are 10 CubeSats housed in the Aft Bulkhead Carrier (ABC) located below the Centaur upper stage. USAF X-37B orbital test vehicle launches atop United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on on OTV-4 mission. ![]() Early this morning the four hour launch window was narrowed down to two small windows of opportunity. ![]() The exact launch time was classified until it was released by the Department of Defense this morning. The weather cooperated for a spectacular liftoff from the Florida space coast, which was webcast live by ULA until five minutes after launch when it went into a communications blackout shortly after announcing the successful ignition of the Centaur upper stage.
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