Delta 4 launches space surveillance satellites
Posted: Tue, Jul 29, 2014, 6:07 AM ET (1007 GMT)
After four scrubs due to ground equipment and weather issues, a Delta 4 rocket successfully placed three military space surveillance satellites into orbit on Monday. The Delta 4 Medium+ (4,2) rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 7:28 pm EDT (2328 GMT) Monday. The launch took place more than halfway into a 65-minute launch window to allow weather conditions to improve. Launch attempts on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of last week were scrubbed by poor weather, and an initial launch attempt Wednesday was postponed by problems with ground support equipment. The mission, designed AFSPC-4, carried into orbit two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites and one Automated Navigation and Guidance Experiment for Local Space (ANGELS) satellite. The satellites will support surveillance of other satellites and debris, particularly in geosynchronous orbit. The existence of the GSSAP program was publicly revealed by the Air Force just earlier this year.
After four scrubs due to ground equipment and weather issues, a Delta 4 rocket successfully placed three military space surveillance satellites into orbit on Monday. The Delta 4 Medium+ (4,2) rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 7:28 pm EDT (2328 GMT) Monday. The launch took place more than halfway into a 65-minute launch window to allow weather conditions to improve. Launch attempts on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of last week were scrubbed by poor weather, and an initial launch attempt Wednesday was postponed by problems with ground support equipment. The mission, designed AFSPC-4, carried into orbit two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites and one Automated Navigation and Guidance Experiment for Local Space (ANGELS) satellite. The satellites will support surveillance of other satellites and debris, particularly in geosynchronous orbit. The existence of the GSSAP program was publicly revealed by the Air Force just earlier this year.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Monday, June 1
SpaceX IPO: Retail Investors Say They're Worried About Sky-High Valuation
Business Insider — 1:27 am ET (0527 GMT) Elon Musk’s plans for SpaceX depend on Starship and AI
The Hill — 1:27 am ET (0527 GMT) Space race: Why Portugal is reaching for the stars
Deutsche Welle — 1:21 am ET (0521 GMT) ‘Crucial juncture for space missions’
The Hans India — 1:20 am ET (0520 GMT) NASA’s Moon Base plans put Huntsville at center of lunar future
Yellowhammer News — 1:17 am ET (0517 GMT) |
