The United Launch Alliance is scheduled to launch the Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral on Thursday. The Atlas V rocket will carry a U.S. missile-warning satellite into orbit.
The satellite is worth $1.2 billion and will be launched by the Atlas V rocket into space at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 41. Teams working on the launch have an on-time liftoff within the opening of a 40-minute window, with an 80 percent chance to have favorable conditions. The 40-minute launch window is expected to open at 7:46 p.m. ET on Thursday, according to USA Today. The team added that there is a small chance of cumulus clouds which could pose concern, but they are still positive that the launch will push through.
The United Launch Alliance Team and Air Force mission managers conducted a routine review of the rocket and launch site on Tuesday. They gave the go signal to move the 194-foot Atlas V rocket carrying the Space Based Infrared System satellite to the Launch Pad Complex 41. The rocket uses rails running about a quarter-mile from the processing tower to the pad frame which is edged by four lightning towers.
The satellite will be launched to a position which is 22,300 miles above the equator. The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin, and it is the third to be made in a series which was designed to detect and track ballistic missiles. A fourth satellite is expected to be launched later this year, and it will complete the constellation, according to Florida Today.
This is the United Launch Alliance's first launch mission of the year. The company is slated to have 10 more this year, seven of which will be from Cape Canaveral. Moreover, this is also Cape Canaveral's first rocket launch of the year. The 45th Space Wing estimates that the Eastern Range will have the possibility to host more than 30 launches this year.