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Atlas 5 planetary launch windows for New Horizons BY JUSTIN RAY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: November 29, 2005 Editor's note: Two-hour opportunities to launch the New Horizons spacecraft aboard the Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket are available daily from January 11 through February 14, 2006. This 35-day period is dictated by alignment of the planets and the energy necessary to send the spacecraft from Earth to Pluto. A launch in the first 23 days puts New Horizons on a trajectory to swing past Jupiter for a gravity sling-shot that speeds the travel to Pluto. But Jupiter will move out of alignment during the final 12 days of the period, causing the spacecraft to miss its Jupiter encounter and adding more time to reach Pluto. So earlier is better for launching New Horizons! A back-up launch period is available in February 2007, offering two weeks to send New Horizons on a direct-to-Pluto route for arrival in 2019 or 2020.
Data source: NASA |
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The Pluto New Horizons spacecraft, destined to become the first robotic probe to visit Pluto and its moon Charon, arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in advance of its January blastoff.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter lifts off aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41.
The fifth Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket blasts off to deploy the Inmarsat 4-F1 mobile communications spacecraft into orbit. (2min 35sec file)
An extended length clip follows the Atlas 5 launch from T-minus 1 minute through ignition of the Centaur upper stage and jettison of the nose cone. (6min 43sec file)
An onboard video camera mounted to the Atlas 5 rocket's first stage captures this view of the spent solid-fuel boosters separating.
This view of the Atlas 5 launch was recorded from the Kennedy Space Center Press Site. (1min 27sec file)
Preview the launch of Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5 rocket carrying the Inmarsat 4-F1 communications spacecraft with this narrated animation package. (3min 47sec file)
The Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket launches at 7:07 a.m. EST from Cape Canaveral carrying the AMERICOM 16 communications spacecraft. (6min 22sec file)
The sunrise launch of Atlas 5 is shown in this view from the Kennedy Space Center press site at Complex 39. (QuickTime file)
Riding on its mobile launching platform, the Atlas 5 rocket is rolled from its assembly building to the launch pad at Complex 41 just hours before the scheduled liftoff time carrying AMC 16. (4min 41sec file)