United Launch Alliance – Spaceflight Now

Atlas 5 launch caps deployment of ultra-secure military communications network

March 26, 2020

The sixth and final satellite in the U.S. military’s most secure satellite communications fleet lifted off from Cape Canaveral Thursday aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, extending the network’s expected lifetime beyond 2030.

Atlas 5 launch timeline for the AEHF 6 mission

March 26, 2020

A United Launch Atlas 5 rocket is set to launch the U.S. Air Force’s sixth and final Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite from Cape Canaveral. This timeline shows the major mission events planned over a nearly six-hour flight to an optimized geostationary transfer orbit.

Photos: Atlas 5 rocket rolls out to launch pad at Cape Canaveral

March 25, 2020

United Launch Alliance’s next Atlas 5 rocket moved to its launch pad Wednesday at Cape Canaveral, taking position for liftoff with the U.S. military’s sixth and final Advanced Extremely High Frequency secure communications satellite.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral

March 25, 2020

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 4:18 p.m. EDT (2018 GMT), following a delay of more than an hour to troubleshoot a ground hydraulics controller. The Atlas 5 launched with the U.S. military’s sixth Advanced Extremely High Frequency strategic communications satellite.

Space Force’s first launch scheduled for Thursday

March 25, 2020

The first launch of a U.S. Space Force mission since the establishment of the new military service is planned Thursday, when a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral with a billion-dollar jam-resistant communications satellite designed to ensure national leaders remain connected with the armed forces.

Military officials committed to keeping Cape Canaveral open for launches

March 24, 2020

The military-run Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral remains ready to support upcoming launches — including an Atlas 5 flight Thursday — amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Tuesday.

Final AEHF satellite mated to Atlas 5 launcher at Cape Canaveral

March 12, 2020

The sixth and final satellite in the U.S. Space Force’s network of secure, jam-resistant AEHF communications satellites has been installed on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral for liftoff March 26.

NASA to consider WFIRST launch options after mission passes key review

March 11, 2020

NASA expects to select a launch vehicle next year to carry the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope — a multibillion-dollar flagship astrophysics observatory targeted for cancellation by the Trump administration — into space in 2025 after the mission passed a key review last month, agency officials said.

Seventh-grader wins contest to name new Mars rover: Perseverance

March 5, 2020

Twenty-eight thousand students across the United States submitted essays and proposed names for NASA’s newest Mars rover and on Thursday, the agency announced the winner: Perseverance, submitted by Virginia seventh-grader Alexander Mather.

Mars 2020 rover arrives at Kennedy Space Center for July launch

February 14, 2020

Two U.S. Air Force cargo planes delivered the Mars 2020 rover, cruise stage, descent module and the Mars Helicopter to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week for final assembly, fueling and mounting atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in preparation for liftoff in July.