CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla.- A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 at 8:28 a.m. EDT today. Designated NROL-38, the mission is in support of national defense.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket blasts off from Space Launch Complex-41 with a national security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. This is the 61st launch for ULA and marks the 50th successful launch of an Atlas V and Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.-ULA image
"Congratulations to the NRO and to all the mission partners involved in this critical national security launch," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Mission Operations. "This launch marks an important milestone as we celebrate the 50th successful Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) mission, with 31 Atlas V and 19 Delta IV missions flown since August 2002."
NROL-38 is the first of three critical missions ULA is scheduled to launch for the NRO within the next two months.
This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V EELV 401 configuration vehicle, which includes a 4-meter diameter payload fairing. The Atlas booster for this mission was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine and the Centaur upper stage was powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10A-4 engine.
Developed by the United States Air Force to provide assured access to space for Department of Defense and other government payloads, the commercially developed EELV Program supports the full range of government mission requirements, while delivering on schedule and providing significant cost savings over the heritage launch systems.
ULA's next launch is the Delta IV NROL-15 mission for the NRO scheduled June 28 from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. For more information on ULA, visit the ULA Web site at http://www.ulalaunch.com/, Source: PR Newswire