Fri, Mar 04, 2005
Seventh EELV to Launch
It's a go. International
Launch Services will go ahead with a mission to launch a Global
Positioning System satellite in early 2007 after the US Air Force
gave the go ahead.
A Lockheed Martin Atlas V will blast the GPS-IIF satellite into
space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. The rocket will
propel the satellite directly into a circular orbit of 10,900 nm
above earth. The satellite will join the GPS constellation of
24 operational satellites that provide worldwide navigational
coverage.
ILS, a Lockheed Martin Corporation joint venture, will launch
the seventh of 16 missions awarded in the Air Force's Evolved
Expendable Launch Vehicle program (EELV). They will be using the
Atlas V-401 for this launch. In Atlas V nomenclature, a "401"
vehicle has a 4-meter payload fairing, 0 solid rocket boosters and
1 Centaur upper stage engine.
"The GPS missions enable us to demonstrate the unique
flexibility of the Atlas V vehicle," said ILS president Mark
Albrecht in a news release. "The GPS program has a requirement for
the EELV medium launch vehicle (MLV), which is our Atlas V-401
configuration. This Atlas V vehicle delivers sufficient performance
to directly inject the satellite into its operating orbit,
eliminating the need for a transfer orbit."
The Atlas V was developed to meet both Air Force and commercial
requirements. The next launch of the vehicle is a commercial
mission for Inmarsat later this month. So far, all four launches of
the system have been successful.
Albrecht said "The GPS satellites are a national asset for both
the Defense Department and ordinary citizens, and we're proud to
have a role in maintaining this important system."
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