[Launch Alert] Atlas V Launched

[Launch Alert]

An Atlas V rocket carrying the DMSP F-19 military weather satellite lifted off from Vandenberg AFB this morning at 07:46:30 PDT (14:46:30 UTC).

>From my observing site in the Summerland-Montecito area, we saw the Atlas for about 10 to 12 seconds after it appeared from behind a nearby building and before it passed behind some high clouds. It resembled a rapidly climbing pale orange dot (the dot was the flame from the vehicle). For about five seconds, a white contrail appeared behind the rocket.

The following are several news releases about the launch and the payload.

Brian Webb

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Vandenberg AFB News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2014
ATLAS V LAUNCHED FROM VANDENBERG

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Team Vandenberg successfully launched
the 19th U.S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program payload on
an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 here Thursday, April 3, at
7:46 am PDT.

The DMSP satellite was built by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman and
United Launch Alliance builds and flies the rocket.

Col. Keith Balts, 30th Space Wing commander, was the launch decision
authority.

"This was our first launch of 2014 and I couldn't be more proud of this team
of professionals," said Balts. "The team, which included the Space and
Missile Systems Center, ULA, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, worked
diligently to ensure that this launch was safe and successful."

The 4th Space Launch Squadron is in charge of mission assurance and safety
for this launch operation.

"A launch like this takes teamwork and dedication," said Lt. Col. James
Bodnar, 4th SLS commander.  "Our mission assurance technicians and engineers
have worked hand-in-hand with United Launch Alliance going over critical
procedures and tasks to ensure this launch was successful."

DMSP is the primary provider of terrestrial and space weather information
for the U.S. military. DMSP satellites carry sensors vital to weather
prediction and space weather forecasting. DMSP sensors provide visible,
infrared, microwave and space weather data to enhance information available
to the warfighter. The Air Force, in partnership with the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, works to continually improve the developing
science of weather forecasting. DMSP satellites produce global coverage to
provide the military with timely, accurate and continuous weather
information.

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United Launch Alliance News Release


United Launch Alliance Marks 80th Successful Launch by Delivering Air Force’s Weather Satellite to Orbit
 
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., (April 3, 2014) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket successfully launched the Air Force’s Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP-19) payload at 7:46 a.m. PDT today from Space Launch Complex-3. This is the third mission of 15 scheduled for 2014 and the 80th mission since ULA was formed in December 2006. 

"Congratulations to the Air Force and all of our mission partners on this morning’s successful launch of DMSP-19!  ULA takes tremendous pride in the national capabilities we place on orbit for our customers and in the critical information that satellites such as DMSP provide to military and civilian users worldwide,” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Atlas and Delta Programs. “Achieving on-time launches for our customer’s missions with 100 percent mission success is a testament to this strong government and industry team being singularly focused on one launch at a time.” 
            
This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V 401 configuration vehicle, which includes a 4-meter diameter payload fairing. The Atlas booster for this mission was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine, and the Centaur upper stage was powered by a single Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10A-4 engine. 

For the past 50 years, the DMSP satellites have fulfilled the military's most critical requirements for global atmospheric, oceanic, terrestrial and space environment information. Through these satellites, military users find, track and forecast weather systems over remote and hostile areas for deployed troops. Additionally, DMSP supports a broad range of civil users with sensing capabilities not provided by U.S. civil and foreign weather satellite systems.

ULA's next launch is the Atlas V NROL-67 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), planned for no earlier than April 10 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

With more than a century of combined heritage, United Launch Alliance is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 75 satellites to orbit that provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, enable personal device-based GPS navigation and unlock the mysteries of our solar system. Reliable launch, real-world benefits. 

For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321). Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch and twitter.com/ulalaunch. 

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Lockheed Martin News Release


U.S. Air Force Satellite Launched Today Will Improve Weather Prediction
 
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Spacecraft Entering Polar Orbit
 
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., April 3, 2014 – A Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] was successfully launched today at 7:46 a.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. atop an Atlas V rocket. Lockheed Martin confirmed signal acquisition shortly after launch.
 
DMSP-19 is the fourth Block 5D-3 version to be launched, and Lockheed Martin has produced more than 40 satellites throughout the program’s 50-year history. Many of the satellites are performing beyond their design life, so adding on-orbit capability is important for reliable weather information.
 
“Lockheed Martin and the Air Force have partnered on DMSP for more than 50 years, and it’s an effective team. The constellation is significantly outliving its design life,” said Sue Stretch, DMSP program director at Lockheed Martin. “This new satellite informs some of the most important decisions in the armed forces, from flight patterns to troop movements. Simply put, weather data is essential to both our military operations and civilian safety."
 
The satellite launched today is equipped with a sophisticated sensor suite that can capture visible and infrared cloud cover; measure precipitation, surface temperature and soil moisture; and collect specialized global meteorological, oceanographic and solar-geophysical information in all weather conditions. DMSP-19 joins six other satellites in polar orbit providing weather information.
 
Several features on DMSP-19 improve reliability and performance. Those include a more capable power subsystem, an upgraded on-board computer and better battery capacity that extends mission life. Additionally, the satellite carries a new attitude control subsystem and a star tracker. The current Block 5D series also accommodates larger sensor payloads than earlier generations.
 
The nation’s space weather capability extends beyond DMSP. Lockheed Martin continues to modernize that mission through the NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R-Series (GOES-R), scheduled to launch in 2016.
 
At the launch, Lockheed Martin hosted five teachers from Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education (IISME), which matches teachers with industry so they see how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) applies in the workforce. Afterward, employees visited a local elementary school to lead three STEM activities as part of Lockheed Martin’s Launch and Learn program, designed to bring STEM-related activities to launches and their local communities.
 
Today’s launch is the first in five years for DMSP. The previous one was October 18, 2009, when DMSP-18 joined the constellation. The DMSP program is led by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., and control is provided by a joint team of the U.S. Air Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Suitland, Md. DMSP satellites are integrated and tested at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems facility in Sunnyvale, Calif.
 
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 115,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.
 
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Space and Missile Systems Center News Release


Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 19 Launch

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, El Segundo, Calif. - The U.S. Air Force
successfully launched the 19th Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
(DMSP) spacecraft at 7:46 a.m. PDT, April 3, from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
Calif. The satellite was carried aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V
launch vehicle.
 
DMSP is the primary provider of terrestrial and space weather information
for the U.S. military. DMSP satellites carry sensors vital to weather
prediction and space weather forecasting. DMSP sensors provide visible,
infrared, microwave and space weather data to enhance information available
to the warfighter. The Air Force, in partnership with the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), works to continually improve the
developing science of weather forecasting. DMSP satellites produce global
coverage to provide the military with timely, accurate and continuous
weather information.

"The launch of DMSP-19 continues the vital weather support to operational
commanders for another decade," stated Colonel Scott Larrimore, director of
the Space and Missile Systems Center's Defense Weather Systems Directorate.
"Congratulations to a great team, which included the 30th Space Wing, ULA,
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman."

The Lockheed Martin-built DMSP-19 satellite will orbit the Earth at an
altitude of about 847 km, in a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit. The
satellite hosts two primary sensors, the Operational Linescan System (OLS)
and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS), built by Northrop
Grumman. The OLS provides visible and infrared cloud data with each scan
covering an area 1800 miles wide. The instrument is able to cover the entire
Earth in about 12 hours. The SSMIS detects precipitation, surface
temperature and soil moisture as well as provides all-weather capability for
worldwide tactical operations and is particularly useful in typing and
forecasting severe storm activity. The spacecraft also carries a suite of
additional sensors, which collect a broad range of meteorological and space
environmental data for forecasting and analysis.  DMSP-19 will join the DMSP
constellation providing world class space-based terrestrial and space
weather data to support U.S. Forces and its allies around the globe.

The Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center, located at
Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the U.S. Air Force's center of
acquisition excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems.
Its portfolio includes GPS, military satellite communications, defense
meteorological satellites, space launch and range systems, satellite control
networks, space based infrared systems and space situational awareness
capabilities.