[Launch Alert] Delta II Launched

[Brian Webb]

                             LAUNCH ALERT
 				  
                              Brian Webb
                     Ventura County, California
		             kd6nrp at earthlink.net
                     http://www.spacearchive.info
		       
                                    2009 May 5 (Tuesday) 18:44 PDT
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 UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES MISSILE DEFENSE MISSION
                 United Launch Alliance News Release

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., (May 5, 2009) - A United Launch
Alliance Delta II rocket, on behalf of the NASA Launch Services
Program, successfully launched the Space Tracking and Surveillance
System (STSS) Advanced Technology Risk Reduction (ATRR) mission for
the United States Missile Defense Agency at 1:24 p.m., PDT today. The
Missile Defense Agency's STSS Advanced Technology Risk Reduction
satellite serves as a technology pathfinder for the STSS mission - a
space-based sensor component of the layered Ballistic Missile Defense
System. 

"Congratulations to our Missile Defense Agency and NASA customers for
a tremendous start to this critically important national defense
mission," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Delta Product Line.
"Today's STSS ATRR launch represents another important chapter in the
Delta II's successful history of supporting both DOD and NASA
missions. ULA looks forward to launching the STSS Demo mission aboard
another Delta II launch vehicle from the east coast later this year." 

Blasting off from Space Launch Complex 2, the ULA Delta II 7920-10c
configuration vehicle featured a ULA first stage booster powered by a
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and nine Alliant
Techsystems strap-on solid rocket boosters. An Aerojet AJ10-118K
engine powered the second stage. The payload was encased by a
10-foot-diameter composite payload fairing. ULA technicians,
engineers, and management worked for more than two years to prepare
the vehicle for the STSS ATRR mission.

ULA's next launch is the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission set
to launch June 2 aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket from Space Launch
Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral AFS, Florida.  

Formed in 2006, ULA combines the successful Atlas and Delta expendable
launch vehicle programs offering cost-effective and reliable launch
services to U.S. government customers, including the Department of
Defense, NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office and other commercial
organizations.  

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 and San Diego, Calif. 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 website
at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321
(852-4321).

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Copyright 2009, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
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