LAUNCH VIDEO: Click on the image to see Chris Kridler's video of the launch.Tonight's flight of the Delta 4 rocket carrying a GOES-N weather satellite is a success.
The spacecraft separated from its launch vehicle at 10:33 p.m. as planned, ending the successful return to flight of Boeing's Delta 4 launcher fleet and giving the U.S. a new and improved space-based tool for weather forecasting and research.
Recapping the night's events: The Delta 4 blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Pad 37 at 6:11 p.m., slicing through a thin cloud layer and a light breeze on what appears to have been a perfect flight. Concerns about weather faded as the day progressed and the launch happened in the first minute of a one-hour window.
Three second-stage engine burns guided the launcher on the final, long phase of flight to an orbit about 22,300 miles above the Earth. The mission not only adds a spare for the GOES constellation (once checkouts are complete). It also returns the Delta 4 fleet to service, allowing the military to go forward with a string of flights of important national security spacecraft.
No comments:
Post a Comment