BY JUSTIN RAY

Follow the countdown and launch of the Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket carrying the Spanish Hispasat 1D communications satellite. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission. Use our text only page for faster downloads.

2004 GMT (4:04 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 105 minutes and counting. Countdown clocks have picked up as scheduled following the 30-minute planned built-in hold. There are no technical problems being reported by the launch team and the weather remains excellent this afternoon. All is in readiness to begin fueling the Atlas/Centaur rocket shortly.

The countdown will continue to T-minus 5 minutes where a planned 15-minute built-in hold is scheduled. Launch of the Atlas 2AS rocket is targeted for 6:04 p.m. EDT.

2000 GMT (4:00 p.m. EDT)

Lockheed Martin Launch Conductor Ed Christiansen has just polled the launch team for a readiness check in preparation to begin fueling the Atlas rocket once the countdown resumes. No problems were reported. Launch Director Adrian Laffitte then polled the senior management team with no issues announced.

And the technicians at the pad said the complex securing work was now complete and Christiansen instructed them to clear the area.

1949 GMT (3:49 p.m. EDT)

Now half-way through this 30-minute scheduled hold at T-minus 105 minutes.

1934 GMT (3:34 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 105 minutes and holding. Clocks have entered a planned 30-minute hold period for the countdown to the launch of Hispasat 1D aboard the Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket.

The count has 45 minutes of built-in holds scheduled over the course the day that will lead to liftoff at 6:04 p.m. EDT (2204 GMT). A second and final hold is planned at T-minus 5 minutes for 15 minutes. The holds are designed to give the launch team a window of time to work any problems that could arise without delaying other pre-flight preparations.

Meanwhile, the Air Force has announced there are no COLAs, or Collision Avoidance periods, that will prohibit liftoff during any portion of today's 38-minute launch window.

1930 GMT (3:30 p.m. EDT)

The service structure has been moved away from Atlas as the countdown rolls along very smoothly today at Cape Canaveral. Launch Weather Officer Jim Sardonia has just given another update to managers. The weather situtation still looks very favorable.

1905 GMT (3:05 p.m. EDT)

Rollback of the massive mobile service tower from around the Atlas 2AS rocket is now beginning at pad 36A. The structure is being wheeled back to expose the rocket for launch, which is just under three hours away.

The tower is used to stack together the stages of the rocket and mount the satellite payload at the launch pad, provide access for workers to all areas of the vehicle and give protection from the weather. It is electrically driven on four-wheel assemblies.

Meanwhile, the final alignment of the rocket's Inertial Navigation Unit guidance computer has started following the recent completion of a navigation test.

The countdown remains on schedule, there are no reports of any major technical problems and the weather is beautiful here at Cape Canaveral this afternoon.

1849 GMT (2:49 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 150 minutes and counting. "Man stations for Integrated Launch Operations." That is the call to the launch team for members to take their positions at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as the countdown enters the final three hours and 15 minutes to today's liftoff of the Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket carrying the Hispasat 1D communications spacecraft.

There are two built-in holds, lasting for a total of 45 minutes, scheduled into the countdown at T-minus 105 minutes and T-minus 5 minutes.

Liftoff remains set for 6:04 p.m. EDT.

The countdown is being controlled from the Complex 36 Blockhouse where the 120-member launch team has assembled to oversee the activities leading up to liftoff of this Atlas 2AS rocket, designated AC-159.

At launch pad 36A, access platforms and equipment inside the mobile service tower have been stowed, and technicians are preparing for retraction of the structure from around the rocket in about 15 minutes.

Launch Weather Officer Jim Sardonia just completed an updated briefing to officials. All weather rules are currently "go". He is sticking with an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions today, with the only threat being cumulus clouds invading the local area.

1834 GMT (2:34 p.m. EDT)

The Lockheed Martin launch team is preparing to start the Integrated Launch Operations in 15 minutes. Officials report the countdown has been progressing smoothly so far. Liftoff remains scheduled for 6:04 p.m. EDT.

1405 GMT (10:05 a.m. EDT)

This morning's updated weather forecast shows favorable conditions are expected for today's launch window of 6:04 to 6:42 p.m. EDT. See Launch Weather Officer Jim Sardonia's official forecast here.

1314 GMT (9:14 a.m. EDT)

The countdown is now beginning at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 36 for today's liftoff of the Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket carrying the Hispasat 1D communications satellite. Launch remains scheduled to occur at 6:04 p.m. EDT.

Throughout the day the crews in the blockhouse and at pad 36A will proceed through their standard countdown chores needed to ready the Atlas booster and its Centaur upper stage for launch, as well as the ground systems and Hispasat 1D spacecraft.

Highlights of activities planned, in the order they are scheduled to be performed, include Centaur propulsion launch preps, powering up the rocket's flight control system, Atlas propulsion and hydraulic systems preps, preps of the pad's tower and mobile service structure, performing the flight control operational test, the internal power test of Atlas/Centaur, performing a navigation test of rocket's guidance computer, Centaur engine igniter checks, starting Centaur helium purges and starting liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen system final preps.

The Integrated Launch Operations -- the final portion of the countdown in which all members of the launch team participate -- will start at 2:49 p.m. EDT. Retraction of the mobile service tower from around the rocket is slated for 3:04 p.m. EDT.

Countdown clocks will enter a planned 30-minute hold at the T-minus 105 minute mark starting at 3:34 p.m. EDT. During this time the launch team will have a chance to catch up on any work that might be running behind schedule.

Fueling operations will commence at 4:18 p.m. EDT with super-cold liquid oxygen flowing into the Centaur upper stage. Loading of liquid oxygen into the Atlas booster stage should start at 4:44 p.m. EDT. The final segment of fueling will begin at 4:58 p.m. EDT when liquid hydrogen is pumped into the Centaur. The Atlas stage has already been fueled with its supply of RP-1 kerosene.

A final planned hold is scheduled at T-minus 5 minutes for 15 minutes in duration. If there are no problems standing in the way of liftoff, the countdown will resume at 5:59 p.m. EDT for an on-time launch.

Watch this page for play-by-play updates on the countdown and launch live from Cape Canaveral starting at 2:49 p.m. EDT when the Integrated Launch Operations phase of the count begins!

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2002
1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT)

The 25th Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket has been cleared for blastoff Wednesday to launch the Spanish Hispasat 1D telecommunications satellite into space.

Senior managers held the traditional Launch Readiness Review this morning to discuss the status of pre-flight preparations and any remaining issues. With no problems standing in the way, officials gave their "go" to enter the countdown at 9:14 a.m. EDT Wednesday morning.

"We went through all the normal process from the spacecraft, from the vehicle, from the facilities, from the Range, and everything is looking good," Atlas Launch Director Adrian Laffitte said in an interview a short time ago.

Tomorrow's available launch window extends for 38 minutes from 6:04 to 6:42 p.m. EDT (2204-2242 GMT). The 155.5-foot tall rocket, tail number AC-159, will lift off from pad A of Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Air Force Launch Weather Officer Jim Sardonia says there is an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions for liftoff. The weather is expected to worsen later in the week as a tropical system heads for Florida, dropping the odds of launching to 60 percent on Thursday and just 30 percent on Friday. Read this morning's updated forecast here.

"The only challenge we are going to have is we have to make sure we get this (rocket) out of here tomorrow because the weather looks like it is going to turn into bad weather due to a tropical wave that (meteorologists) think probably will turn into a tropical storm," Laffitte said.

Forecasters say the system, which had been a tropical depression a few days ago only to fizzle, is now reorganizing and could form into Tropical Storm Isidore later today. It is currently located south of Jamaica and could pass over Cuba, the Florida Keys and into the Sunshine State.

"In the event of a 24 or 48-hour delay, weather is expected to deteriorate locally as this system will bring thick cloud cover and widespread rainshowers into central Florida," Sardonia reported.

Officials aren't worried about the system bringing damaging winds to the Cape, but the clouds and rain could violate the launch weather rules.

"The main concern really is cumulus clouds and anvil clouds coming into the area, not so much that we are going to get hit," Laffitte said.

First flown in December 1993, the Atlas 2AS rocket is distinguished from the other members of the Atlas fleet by four solid-fueled boosters strapped to the base of the vehicle. The motors burn in pairs -- two are ignited on the pad; the others about a minute into flight -- to provide extra thrust to reach orbit. They peel away from the Atlas after burning out of propellant.

For this launch, the image of an American flag and the words "United We Stand" have been put on one of the boosters in remembrance of last year's attack on America.

"At the request of one of our employees, Greg Lackore, he came to us and he suggested since we are launching close to September 11 we could put a flag on one of the solid rocket boosters," said Laffitte. "That is to recognize and remember the events of September 11."

In addition to the ATK Thiokol Castor 4A solids, the first stage is powered by the Rocketdyne MA-5A liquid-fueled booster and sustainer engines. The kerosene/liquid oxygen powerplants are ignited in the final moments of the countdown. About two minutes, 44 seconds into flight, the booster engine shutdown occurs followed by jettison of the bottom structure of the rocket containing the two outer nozzles. The sustainer engine in the center continues to fire for a period of the flight called the "sustainer solo phase."

Once the rocket has climbed out of the atmosphere and heating subsides, the protective nose cone encapsulating the payload can be jettisoned. That should happen around T+plus 3 minutes, 22 seconds.

The sustainer engine will burn until T+5 minutes before cutting off. The spent Atlas first stage then separates from the Centaur upper stage, falling into the Atlantic Ocean below.

The twin liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen-fed RL-10 engines of the Centaur are ignited at T+5 minutes, 18 seconds for the first of two burns to inject the Hispasat 1D spacecraft into the proper orbit. This initial firing is designed to achieve a low-altitude parking orbit around Earth and should last about four-and-a-half minutes.

After the Pratt & Whitney engines are shut down, Centaur enters a coast period of nearly 15 minutes. Engine restart is expected at T+24 minutes, 29 seconds for an approximate one-minute, 45-second firing that will continue until the stage guzzles all of its fuel, putting the 7,165-pound Hispasat cargo into the most optimum orbit possible. However, a ceiling is in place, capping the allowable orbital height to no greater than 24,863 nautical miles. The acceptable range could be as low as 23,311 nautical miles.

After providing the necessary pointing, Centaur will deploy the French-built Hispasat 1D satellite 28 minutes, 52 seconds after liftoff. The craft will be in an egg-shaped supersynchronous orbit with a perigee of just 90 minutes and inclination between 19.8 and 21.5 degrees to the Equator, depending on performance of the rocket and its ability to retarget the trajectory in flight.

Manufactured by Alcatel Space for Hispasat of Madrid, Spain, the craft will later perform a series of maneuvers with its onboard engine to circularize the orbit to geostationary altitude and reduce the inclination to zero. From that orbit 22,300 miles up, the satellite will match the Earth's rotation and seem parked over one spot -- 30 degrees West longitude above the Equator.

Built to last 15 years, Hispasat 1D will relay television broadcasts, data transmissions and other communications services. The satellite will cover Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the parts of North and South America.

Watch this page for complete live coverage of Wednesday's countdown and launch!

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2002

Launch managers will meet Tuesday morning to give their final approval to continue preparations for Wednesday's liftoff of the Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket carrying the Spanish Hispasat 1D communications.

Officials said Monday there were no significant problems being addressed. Weather forecasters were calling for an 80 percent chance of acceptable launch conditions.

Wednesday's launch window extends from 6:04 to 6:42 p.m. EDT for blastoff from pad 36A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

We'll have a complete launch preview on this page later Tuesday.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2002

A Spanish telecommunications satellite was bolted atop its space launcher Monday at Cape Canaveral's pad 36A to start the final push for next week's blastoff of the Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket.

After being checked out, fueled and encapsulated in the rocket's nose cone at the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, the Hispasat 1D spacecraft was transported on a special trailer to Complex 36 and hoisted into the pad A mobile service tower early Monday morning. The satellite was firmly mated to the Centaur upper stage by 10 a.m.

Liftoff is targeted to occur at 6:04 p.m. EDT (2204 GMT) next Wednesday. The day's available launch window extends 38 minutes to 6:42 p.m. EDT.

It will be the second Atlas launch in a month. The inaugural Atlas 5 rocket successfully lifted off August 21 from nearby Complex 41.

Lockheed Martin has employed "dual operations" between the Atlas 2 and 3 family of rockets launched from Complex 36 and the next-generation Atlas 5 at Complex 41. Using a "one team" approach, the workforce of about 250 are shared amongst the two launch complexes.

Processing for the Hispasat mission began in July when the Atlas first stage, strap-on solid rocket motors and Centaur upper stage were stacked on the pad. The flow began earlier than normal in order to efficiently use the crews between the preps for Atlas 5 and beginning the Atlas 2AS campaign.

Once the Atlas 5 was launched, attention was focused back to Complex 36. The RP-1 kerosene fuel was loaded into the first stage on August 28 and the countdown dress rehearsal was held on August 29.

Now that the satellite and rocket are joined, a combined electrical test is scheduled for Wednesday to ensure all is in readiness. Standard work and management meetings will follow over the next week.

Built by Alcatel Space of France, the Hispasat 1D satellite will be positioned in geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the equator at 30 degrees West longitude for Madrid-based operator Hispasat S.A. From that vantage point, the satellite will join Hispasats 1A, 1B and 1C, and be ready to replace the aging 1A and 1B when they are expected to be retired late next year.

The new craft will provide digital TV and data transmission services through its 28 Ku-band transponders. Its coverage area includes Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and a trans-Atlantic reach to parts of North and South America.