[Launch Alert] Launch on Schedule

Tue Apr 12 12:22:43 EDT 2011

                             LAUNCH ALERT

                              Brian Webb
                     Ventura County, California
                  launch-alert-editor at earthlink.net
                        www.spacearchive.info

                                 2011 April 12 (Tuesday) 09:13 PDT
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                            LAUNCH STATUS
                            by Brian Webb

Thursday evening's launch of an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg
AFB remains on schedule. The rocket is slated to lift-off from Space
Launch Complex 3 at 21:24 (9:24 p.m.) PDT, the start of a launch
window of unknown duration.

The Atlas will initially rise vertically before it slowly pitches
over and heads southward. If the launch occurs as planned, the rocket
will carry The National Reconnaissance Office's NROL-34 payload into
into orbit. 

The Atlas V for this launch consists of a liquid propellant core
vehicle with one solid fuel strap-on motor.

The launch window opens 1 hour and 54 minutes after Vandenberg AFB
sunset. It is therefore unlikely that the rocket will be high enough
for its exhaust plume to be illuminated by the Sun during the initial
portion of the launch.

In other words, this is a night event with some interference from
the first quarter Moon. That said, the launch could still be visible
to the naked eye as far away as San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Needles,
Yuma, and the interior of northwest Mexico - provided an observer
was looking at the right place at the right time and had an
unobstructed horizon.

Observers as far away as San Marcos Pass and possibly Santa Barbara
may hear a low rumble from the rocket about three minutes after
liftoff.

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                           LAUNCH SUMMARY

Launch: Atlas V/NROL-34 

Date:   April 14

Time:   21:24 PDT, the start of the launch window

Launch Vehicle: Atlas V liquid fuel core vehicle with one strap-on
                solid fuel rocket motor

Payload: Classified National Reconnaissance Office national security
         payload

Launch Window: Opens at 21:24 PDT. The end of the launch window has
               not been publicly released.

Pad/Silo: SLC-3

Launch Heading: Probably toward the south

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                     LAUNCH AND COUNTDOWN STATUS

For launch and countdown status for the Atlas V/NROL-34 launch,
consult the following sources:

   Web Sites with Countdown Status

      www.spaceflightnow.com

   Webcasts

      A live Webcast of the launch will be available from T-20 to
      T+4.5 minutes at:

      www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/Multimedia_Webcast.shtml

   Satellite Feeds

      Bars and Tone: 20:30 to 21:04 PDT
      Broadcast: 21:04 PDT to T+ 4.5 minutes
      Satellite: AMC 1
      Transponder: C15
      Band: C Band Analog
      Orbital Position: 103 degrees west
      Carrier: SES Americom
      Bandwidth: 36 MHz
      Uplink Freq: 6225 MHz Vertical
      Downlink Freq: 4000 MHz Horizontal

   Twitter Updates

      http://twitter.com/ulalaunch

      http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow

      http://twitter.com/30thSpaceWing

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                              RESOURCES

For additional information related to the Atlas V/NROL-34 launch, go
to the following locations:

   Launch Vehicle

      www.lockheedmartin.com/ssc/commercial_launch_services/
      launch_vehicles/AtlasV400Series.html

   National Reconnaissance Office

      www.nro.gov

   Launch Pad

      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandenberg_AFB_Space_Launch_Complex_3

   Launch Viewing

      www.spacearchive.info/vafbview.htm

   Photographing Launches

      www.spacearchive.info/vafbphoto.htm

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