ULA, Space Force target Monday launch of Atlas V carrying defense satellite
SBIRS uses infrared surveillance to provide early missile warning for the U.S. military and is considered one of the nation's highest priority space programs.
LAKE MARY, Fla. - United Launch Alliance and the U.S. Space Force are targeting next Monday for the launch of an Atlas V rocket.
The Atlas V will launch the fifth Space-Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (SBIRS GEO-5) satellite for the U.S. Space Force and Space and Missile Systems Center next Monday at 1:35 p.m. EDT (1735 UTC) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
SBIRS uses infrared surveillance to provide early missile warning for the U.S. military and is considered one of the nation's highest priority space programs.
ULA will provide live countdown status updates from launch control in this blog beginning at 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 UTC). A launch webcast starts 20 minutes before liftoff at 1:15 p.m. EDT (1715 UTC).
The SBIRS GEO-5 satellite was hoisted atop the Atlas V over the weekend at the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to the Space Launch Complex-41 pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force, Florida. The combined rocket and payload stand 194 feet (59 meters) tall.
The SBIRS satellites act as guardians in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles (36,000 km) above the Earth, equipped with powerful scanning and staring infrared sensors to spot and track missile launches.
This will be ULA's 144th mission and our 91st dedicated to U.S. national security. It is the 87th Atlas V launch and eighth in the 421 vehicle configuration.