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Streaking to Orbit and generating a ‘space
jellyfish’: United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Advanced Extremely High Frequency AEHF-5 jam resistant military communications satellite for the USAF blasts off at twilights dawn to GTO in this wide angle fisheye photo on Aug. 8, 2019 at 6:13 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com |
Ken
Kremer — SpaceUpClose.com &
RocketSTEM – 12 August 2019
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – The United Launch Alliance Atlas V
rocket put on an absolutely awesome display of fire and fury while generating a
beautifully picturesque ‘space jellyfish’ moments after the dawn blastoff of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency-5 (AEHF-5) national security communications satellite
for the U.S. Air Force maintaining global relay connectivity of American and
Allied troops and commanders in a worst case scenario of nuclear war.
The ULA Atlas V AEHF-5 blastoff and streak skywards
to geostationary orbit certainly counts as one of the most beautiful and
thrilling launches ever witnessed from the Florida Space Coast – everyone unanimously
agreed!
The
20-story tall ULA Atlas V rocket carrying the $1.2 Billion Lockheed Martin
built AEHF-5 military satcom mission for the U.S. Air Force Space Command finally
lifted off from seaside Space Launch Complex-41, Thursday, Aug. 8 at 6:13 a.m.
EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.
Enjoy
all the exquisite action through our exclusive Space UpClose gallery of photos
and videos stationed at the Cape and the launch pad. Check back as the gallery
grows.
Read
our complete launch story here.
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Up Close Engine view
of the fiery fury spewing from the five first stage Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ-60A solid rocket boosters and liquid fueled dual nozzle Russian made RD-180 engine after launch of the ULA Atlas V carrying the Advanced Extremely High Frequency AEHF-5 jam resistant military communications satellite for the U.S. Air Force on Aug. 8, 2019 at 6:13 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on US national security mission. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com |
Some
five and a half hours after liftoff AEHF-5 was released from the Centaur upper
stage and successfully delivered the 6.8 ton behemoth to geostationary transfer
orbit (GTO).
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ULA Atlas V rocket carrying the Advanced
Extremely High Frequency AEHF-5 jam resistant military communications satellite for the U.S. Air Force blasts off on Aug. 8, 2019 at 6:13 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on a national security mission securely connecting US troops globally with US national leadership. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com |
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Streaking to Orbit and generating a ‘space
jellyfish’: United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Advanced Extremely High Frequency AEHF-5 jam resistant military communications satellite for the USAF blasts off at twilights dawn to GTO in this wide angle fisheye photo on Aug. 8, 2019 at 6:13 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com |
After
orbit raising thrust firings over the next few weeks AEHF-5 will operate in geostationary
orbit circling 22,300 miles (36000 kilometers)
above Earth.
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ULA Atlas V rocket carrying the Advanced
Extremely High Frequency AEHF-5 jam resistant military communications satellite for the U.S. Air Force blasts off on Aug. 8, 2019 at 6:13 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on a national security mission securely connecting US troops globally with US national leadership. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com |
line of a jam-resistant six-satellite constellation vital for U.S. National
Defense joining four others already in orbit.
built short payload fairing (PLF) – approximately 5.4 meters (17-feet) in
diameter and 20.7 meters (68-feet) tall for the ride to orbit.
Atlas V rocket launched in the commanding 551 configuration which comprises a
LOX & RP-1 kerosene-fueled common core booster powered by a Russian-made
RD-180 main engine, a five-meter-diameter payload fairing built by RUAG
Space in Switzerland, five first stage strap-on AJ-60A solid rocket motors
built by Aerojet-Rocketdyne and a single RL-10C engine LOX & LH2 fueled
Centaur upper stage.
satellites provide secure, protected communications that instantly connect US warfighters
on the ground across the globe with military commanders and top US leadership
including the President to control their tactical and strategic forces in times of peace and wartime
needs critical to US survival.
satellites are designed to withstand fierce radiation pummeling in nightmare
scenarios from enemy nuclear attacks.
equipped with 2 SHF Downlink Phased Arrays, 2 Crosslinks, 2 Uplink/Downlink
Nulling Antennas, 1 Uplink EHF Phased Array, 6 Uplink/Downlink Gimbaled
Dish Antenna, 1 Each Uplink/downlink earth coverage horns.
ranges from 75 bps to approximately 8 Mbps.
international partners from the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands.
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launches was featured on local Channel 13 Spectrum TV News and the Front Page of
Florida Today:
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Dr. Ken Kremer/Space UpClose post launch interview with Spectrum
News 13 about ULA Atlas V AEHF-5 military comsat launch Aug. 8, 2019. Screenshot: Ken Kremer/Spectrum 13 |
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Dr. Ken Kremer/Space UpClose post launch interview
on Florida Today front page Aug. 9, 2019 about ULA Atlas V AEHF-5 launch Aug. 8, 2019 |
The
next Atlas V launch will be the first uncrewed Orbital Flight Test (OFT) of the
Boeing Starliner commercial crew vehicle.
No
launch date has been announced but could be as soon as late September or October.
But
it could come about 4 to 6 weeks after this Atlas, as ULA can now process and stack
the next Atlas former NASA astronaut and current Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson
told me recently.
Ken is onsite at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
for live reporting of the ULA AEHF-5 mission launch.
continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin,
Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy
Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight
Facility, Virginia.
Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and
Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter
@ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the
KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about
space topics.
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Ken’s upcoming outreach events:
Aug 30, 7 PM: Skyscrapers
Inc Astronomical Society, Seagrave
Memorial Observatory, 47 Peeptoad Road, North Scituate, Rhode Island:
“Exploring Mars and
the Search for life – 3D” – Learn all about NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover illustrated with Ken’s
custom created Mars rover panoramas from Curiosity, Spriit and Opportunity and up
close clean room and launch pad views. Plus brief presentation from Space Shuttle seamstress Jean Wright. Free and open to public
Ken’s Space/Rocket/Mars
imagery for sale to support his outreach
Website:s http://www.theskyscrapers.org/
http://www.theskyscrapers.org/special-presentation-by-dr-ken-kremer
https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/event-view.cfm?Event_ID=105601
