“The WAAS network corrects even the slightest errors, and that provides peace of mind when it comes to safety of flight.” “GPS alone can’t meet the FAA’s stringent requirements for accuracy, integrity and availability,” said Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon’s Navigation, Weather and Services mission area. The GEO 5 payload joins two others already on orbit in correcting GPS satellite signal ionospheric disturbances, timing issues and minor orbit adjustments, giving users increased coverage, improved accuracy and better reliability, Raytheon said. So this means that this rocket will have a 4 meter faring, 2 solid rocket boosters, and 1 engine on the Centaur Upper Stage.The Federal Aviation Administration’s Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting 5 Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) navigation payload, developed by Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business, is now operational and fully integrated into the WAAS network. The third number shows the number of engines on the Centaur Upper Stage, which is 1 in this configuration. In this case there will be 2 SRBs attached to the center core. The number of SRBs for a 4 meter fairing can range from 0 – 3.
The second number denotes the number of solid rocket boosters (SRBs), which attach to the base of the rocket. The first number represents the fairing diameter size in meters, so in this instance there is a 4 meter fairing. What does 421 mean?Ītlas V rockets have a three number configuration code. In the 421 configuration, the Atlas V is capable of carrying up to 14,067 kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and 6,890 kg to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). The second stage is the Centaur upper stage, which is powered by one or two RL10 engines and burns liquid hydrogen (LH 2) and liquid oxygen (LOx). This is accompanied by up to five strap-on solid rocket boosters. The first is a Common Core Booster (CCB), which is powered by an RD-180 engine and burns kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOx). The rocket is one of the most reliable in the world, having more than 76 launches ( As of November 2020) with no complete failures. The Atlas V is an expendable medium lift launch system and member of the Atlas rocket family. The Atlas V payload fairing which will enclose the SBIRS GEO-5 satellite. The payloads will deploy from the aft bulkhead carrier prior to the SBIRS GEO-5 and will provide experimental data that can be used to improve future missions. The Space and Missile Systems Centre will also be flying the EZ-3 and EZ-4 flight systems as a part of the mission, which will support the deployment of two Technology Demonstration Orbiters, TDO-3 and TDO-4. The SBIRS GEO-6 satellite will also be built on the LM 2100M bus.Īn Atlas V rocket will be used to take the satellite to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO), after which the satellite will use its own propulsion system to gradually raise its orbit to geosynchronous orbit. While this is the 5th SBIRS spacecraft to be built by Lockheed Martin, it is the first to be built on the company’s LM 2100 combat bus, which provides enhanced security features, and improved power, propulsion, and electronics. The final satellite in the program, the SBIRS GEO-6 is scheduled for launch in 2022, also on an Atlas V rocket. The first of the SBIRS satellites was launched in 2011, with subsequent satellites being launched in 2013, 2017, and 2018. SBIRS GEO-5 is the fifth satellite in the program, which was designed to replace the Defense Support Program, Northrop Grumman’s system of early warning satellites, which has been in operation since the 1970s. The main aim of the program is to support missile defense, missile warning, battlespace awareness, and technical intelligence. The Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) is a network of satellites and hosted payloads in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) and Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), which utilize scanning and staring infrared sensors to provide early missile warning and defense capabilities to the U.S Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center. The rocket is scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA on May 18, 2021. ULA will launch the SBIRS GEO-5 satellite atop an Atlas V rocket in the 421 configuration for the United States Space Force’s Space and Missiles Systems Center.
– 8th launch of an Atlas V in the 421 configuration
The weather is currently 90% go for launch ( As of 12:00 UTC ) Will they be attempting to recover the fairings? Will they be attempting to recover the first stage?
Space Launch Complex-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA