[Launch Alert] Successful Launch

Fri Feb 6 07:50:56 EST 2009

                             LAUNCH ALERT

                              Brian Webb
                     Ventura County, California
                         kd6nrp at earthlink.net
                     http://www.spacearchive.info

				2009 February 6 (Friday) 04:46 PST
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       ULA DELTA II CELEBRATES 20th ANNIVERSARY WITH SUCCESSFUL
                         NOAA-N PRIME LAUNCH
                United Launch Alliance News Release

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (Feb. 6, 2009) - A United Launch
Alliance Delta II successfully launched the NASA NOAA-N Prime
spacecraft at 2:22 a.m. PST, today. Rocketing from Space Launch
Complex-2, the launch took place during the 20th year anniversary
month of the first Delta II launch. The program's first launch took
place Feb. 14, 1989, from Space Launch Complex-17, Cape Canaveral AFS,
Fla., carrying a Global Positioning System satellite. 

NOAA-N Prime, following a 65 minute flight, was deployed on its
mission to improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental
events around the world. It's the last in the current series of five
polar-orbiting satellites with improved imaging and sounding
capabilities. Additionally, NOAA-N Prime carries instruments that
support the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking System
(SARSAT), which relays emergency distress beacon information from
mariners and aviators to rescue teams. Since SARSAT was established in
1982, more than 24,500 lives have been saved.

"We are proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Delta II by
successfully launching this critically important spacecraft for both
NASA and NOAA and we congratulate our mission partners on their
success," said Jim Sponnick, vice president, Delta Product Line. "Now
with 138 successful launches, the Delta II is the proven worldwide
leader of the medium class market."  

During the past two decades, Delta II launched some of America's most
famous and successful missions. NASA's Mars rovers Spirit and
Opportunity, along with the Phoenix Mars Lander, were launched by
Delta II. Additionally, NASA missions such as Mars Odyssey, Messenger,
Dawn, GLAST, and THEMIS all began their journeys on a Delta II. For
the military, all current GPS satellites and numerous NRO missions
were launched in support of national defense by Delta II.

Delta II has also launched 43 commercial missions, the most by any
U.S. launch vehicle. Building on this success, the Delta II product
line currently has 12 NASA, military and commercial missions scheduled
to launch through 2011.

"Everyone associated with the Delta II product line can take pride in
its impressive success record and the contributions they made to
scientific exploration, national defense and economic prosperity since
1989," Sponnick said. "Our Delta II team realizes they didn't do this
alone and only succeeded due to the tremendous support from our
government mission partners, suppliers and commercial customers."

For the NOAA-N Prime mission, the spacecraft was launched on a Delta
II 7320-10C configuration vehicle featuring a ULA first stage booster
powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) strap-on solid rocket motors. An Aerojet
AJ10-118K engine powered the second stage. The payload was encased by
a 10-foot-diameter composite payload fairing. 

ULA's next launch is the March 5 NASA Kepler mission aboard a Delta II
from SLC-17.  

ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support
functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly
and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., Harlingen,
Texas, San Diego, Calif., and Denver, Colo. Launch operations are
located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Air
Force Base, Calif.

For more information on the ULA joint venture, visit the ULA Web site
at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321
(852-4321).

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