[Launch Alert] L-2 Media Update: ULA Atlas V Landsat 9 Mission Set to Launch Sept. 27

[Launch Alert]

The following are portions of a ULA media update issued this evening:
 
"ULA and NASA’s Launch Readiness Review is complete and everything is progressing toward the ULA Atlas V launch carrying the Landsat 9 mission for NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. The mission is planned to lift off on Mon., Sept. 27 at 11:11 a.m. PDT from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Today’s forecast shows a greater than 90 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for launch.
 
Launch Forecast Summary:
 
Overall probability of violating weather constraints: Overall probability of violating weather constraints for 24-hour delay: 40%
Primary concern: Liftoff Winds
 
Launch Broadcast
 
Live broadcast coverage of launch will begin at 10:30 a.m. PDT on Sept. 27 and will broadcast live on NASA TV.
 
Live launch updates and webcast available at: www.ulalaunch.com
 
Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #AtlasV #Landsat #Landsat9"
 
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The following is a news feature from Vandenberg SFB:
 
VANDENBERG CELEBRATES ITS 2000th LAUNCH MONDAY
Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs / Public Affairs
 
VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Team Vandenberg is scheduled to launch a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the NASA Launch Program Landsat 9 observatory into a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit from Space Launch Complex-3 here Monday, Sept. 27, with a launch window opening at 11:11 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
 
Col. Rob Long will be the launch decision authority on this historic 2000th launch from the Western Range here on Vandenberg Space Force Base.
 
“The 2000th launch gives us the opportunity to celebrate the tens of thousands from Team Vandenberg, past and present, who share a proud heritage beginning with the first launch in 1958 through this 2000th launch,” said Long. “Space—and launch—is hard. Our record of success is a testament to longstanding mission excellence.”
 
The unique geographic location of Vandenberg makes this major range and test facility base a safe and ideal setting for confidence test launching intercontinental ballistic missiles, intermediate range ballistic missiles, and for placing satellite payloads into polar orbit.
 
Join us as we celebrate this Vandenberg Space Force milestone as we make history with our 2000th launch!
 
The local community can view this launch from the Hawk's Nest on Hwy 1 just a half mile south of Vandenberg Space Force Base's main gate. The Hawk's Nest gates will open at 9:45 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 27.
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The following is a ULA news release:
 
United Launch Alliance to Launch Landsat 9 Mission
ULA and heritage vehicle have launched critical Earth science capabilities since 1972
 
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., (Sept. 25, 2021) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is in final preparations to launch the Landsat 9 mission for NASA. The launch is on track for Sept. 27 from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Launch is planned for 11:11 a.m. PDT. The live launch broadcast begins at 10:30 a.m. PDT on Sept. 27 at www.ulalaunch.com.
 
“We are proud to continue to serve as the primary launch provider for Landsat missions. ULA and our heritage launch vehicles have launched every Landsat mission since 1972,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “The Landsat series provides outstanding data for Earth environment and science-based research and Landsat 9 will add to these capabilities. We have worked alongside our partners, in a challenging health environment, to prepare to launch this important mission that will empower Earth research from space for decades to come.”
 
Landsat 9 is a joint mission of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). In addition to Landsat 9, this mission includes the ESPA Flight System (EFS) which will deploy multiple CubeSats after Landsat 9 separation. The Atlas V will deploy Landsat 9 and the CubeSats into two different orbits, enabling the first four-burn Centaur mission for ULA on an Atlas V rocket. The Centaur upper stage has the capacity for increased performance, and the flight design of the Landsat 9 mission takes advantage of that capability.
 
The mission will launch on an Atlas V 401 configuration rocket, that includes a 13.7-ft (4-m) Extra Extended Payload Fairing (XEPF) and stands 194 ft. (59 meters) tall. The Atlas booster for this mission is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne provided the RL10C-1 engine for the Centaur upper stage.
 
This will be the 88th launch of the Atlas V rocket and 20th mission launched on an Atlas V in partnership with NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP). This launch is the 300th Atlas launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base. To date ULA has launched 144 times with 100 percent mission success.
 
With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 140 missions to orbit that aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, deliver cutting-edge commercial services and enable GPS navigation. 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: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
 
Photos available on the ULA Flickr page.
 
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