United Launch Alliance – Page 56

Photos: Atlas 5 rocket on the pad with WorldView 4 satellite

September 15, 2016 Justin Ray

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket stands atop Space Launch Complex 3-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on the eve of Friday’s WorldView 4 mission.

Atlas 5 launch postponed by wildfire, Range availability until Sept. 26

September 15, 2016 Justin Ray

Sunday’s flight of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California was scrubbed due to a wildfire burning south of the pad. The launch delay allows crews to remain in place to battle the blaze. The lack of Range availability this week means the next launch try won’t come until Sept. 26.

Idled by Range facility rework for months, Vandenberg ready to launch again Friday

September 14, 2016 Justin Ray

Resuming space launches from the U.S. Western Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California after a half-year infrastructure outage, an Atlas 5 rocket will boost a commercial Earth-imaging bird into orbit on Friday.

Photos: WorldView 4 satellite’s road to launch

September 14, 2016 Justin Ray

DigitalGlobe’s WorldView 4 commercial satellite, which will join sister-craft WorldView 3 in orbit to snap the highest quality Earth imagery available on the market at 31-centimeter resolution, was built by Lockheed Martin and will be launched Friday atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Quick work saved the OSIRIS-REx asteroid mission from nearby explosion

September 13, 2016 Stephen Clark

Engineers scrambled to keep NASA’s billion-dollar asteroid-bound OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on track for its launch last week in the aftermath of an explosion a mile away at SpaceX’s launch pad at Cape Canaveral.

Photos: Spectacular sunset launch of asteroid mission

September 9, 2016 Justin Ray

Sending the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on an interplanetary trajectory to Asteroid Bennu, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket thunders away from Cape Canaveral Thursday at 7:05 p.m. EDT (2305 GMT).

Video: Post-launch news conference

September 9, 2016 Justin Ray

An hour after OSIRIS-REx separated from the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on its trajectory to Asteroid Bennu, officials from NASA, the University of Arizona, ULA and Lockheed Martin held the post-launch news conference from Kennedy Space Center.

OSIRIS-REx probe launched to asteroid in compelling search for the origins of life

September 9, 2016 Justin Ray

Like reaching back in time to examine the conditions that existed in the ancient solar system, NASA has launched a robotic probe to visit Asteroid Bennu and return an unspoiled sample of the primitive body that may hold the seeds of life.

Video: NASA mission launched to return sample of asteroid

September 9, 2016 Justin Ray

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, standing 189 feet tall and and weighing 840,000 pounds, unleashes 1.2 million pounds of thrust from its main engine and one side-mounted booster at 7:05 p.m. EDT (2305 GMT) today to launch NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to Asteroid Bennu.

Live coverage: Atlas 5 countdown and launch journal

September 8, 2016 Justin Ray

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 7:05 p.m. EDT (2305 GMT) today to send NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on a seven-year, 4.4-billion-mile mission to rendezvous with Asteroid Bennu and bring a sample of the primordial object back to Earth. Follow the mission in our live journal.