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Next-generation Atlas 5 sailed 'perfect' first voyage BY JUSTIN RAY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: August 22, 2002 After a night of partying and jubilant celebrations, Lockheed Martin
officials said Thursday that the first Atlas 5 rocket gave its paying
cargo "a marvelous ride" into space following a remarkable on-time takeoff
for the new launcher.
"After liftoff, the vehicle performed very well. We hit all the performance targets. The first-look data looked very good. So another great success for the team and the phased evolution of Atlas." "They kinda almost made it look too easy yesterday," said Air Force Col. Susan Mashiko, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle systems program director. "What they managed to do was they set the bar. It is going to be something that is going to be tough for all the other launchers throughout the world to meet. You never have someone launch on the first day, with a smooth, essentially uneventful count and you launched at the first minute of the launch window." The Air Force partnered with Lockheed Martin and Boeing four years ago to develop next-generation rockets that would ensure reliable and affordable access to space for government and commercial satellites through 2020. The teaming between the military and the rocket-making industry resulted in Atlas 5 and Boeing's Delta 4, which is scheduled to debut on October 9.
For Lockheed Martin and Atlas marketer International Launch Services, the successful introduction of Atlas 5 was vital for the vehicle's future in the commercial spacecraft launch market. Today, that market has more competing rockets available than satellites. "The more (customers) become familiar with what actually happened, the incredible confidence they are going to have in this vehicle," said ILS President Mark Albrecht. "I am very confident that the results are going to be new orders, in abundance." "We worked hard to be first to market," said Karas. "I believe we threw down the gauntlet to our competitors. There are a couple other guys who will be launching new rockets in the next couple months -- both domestically and abroad." In addition to Delta 4, Arianespace is scheduled to launch the first flight of its new, more powerful Ariane 5 upper stage this fall. Wednesday's maiden voyage began at 6:05 p.m. EDT as the Russian-made RD-180 main engine fired to life at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad. The 737,500-pound, 191-foot tall rocket ever so slowly climbed from its mobile launching platform into the clear Florida evening sky. "We have a term for that, we call that 'majestic'," said Karas, joking about the slow-rising Atlas 5. "You can take a lot of shots with your camera before it clears the tower."
"We are happy that our customer is exactly on-orbit where he wants to be," Karas said. Built in France by Alcatel Space, the craft will be used by Paris-based operator Eutelsat to provide communications services across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East when it enters service by the end of September. Eutelsat's Giuliano Berretta had this to say after the launch: "As broadcasting and video networks continue to provide the main source of demand in our industry, the requirement is increasing for an operator to provide clients with improved performance, more efficient use of bandwidth and greater in-orbit security. We believe that Hot Bird 6 brings the right mix of continuity and technological innovation to 13 degrees East that will continue to allow wider access to the satellite solutions for broadcasting notably for new video, multimedia and data applications. "Thank you and congratulations to ILS for another flawless Atlas launch for Eutelsat, and for maintaining its consistently high levels of technical performance." Hot Bird 6 marked the third time Eutelsat has put one of its satellites aboard an inaugural flight of an Atlas version. All have been successful. Atlas 5 has 10 additional launches that have been announced and four more are possible, if customers opt to pick the new rocket over ILS' other vehicle -- the Russian Proton. The next Atlas 5 mission -- designated AV-002 -- is currently scheduled for December 17 to place the Canadian Nimiq 2 communications satellite into space. The third Atlas 5 will feature the debut of a larger five-meter nose cone and two strap-on solid rocket motors to carry an American television relay satellite called Rainbow 1 for Cablevision on March 27. Meanwhile, preparations are well underway at Cape Canaveral's launch pad 36A where an Atlas 2AS rocket is being readied for liftoff September 18 to loft the Spanish Hispasat 1D communications craft.
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Hubble Astronomy Now presents Hubble: the space telescope's view of the cosmos. A collection of the best images from the world’s premier space observatory. U.S. STORE U.K. & WORLDWIDE STORE Apollo 15 DVDs Bring a unique piece of space history to your living room. Two- and six-disc Apollo 15 DVDs will be shipping soon. U.S. STORE U.K. & WORLDWIDE STORE Pre-launch briefing Atlas 5 overview - Our story looking at a new era in American space rocketry. Launch timeline - A preview of the events to occur during the first Atlas 5 launch. The rocket - Technical story of the new Atlas 5 rocket family. Complex 41 - A tour of the Atlas 5 launch site and description of the "clean pad" concept. Dual ops - Current Atlas rocket models not going away for awhile. Hot Bird 6 - Learn more about the satellite cargo for the first Atlas 5 launch. The weather - A look at the challenges of forecasting the weather for Atlas 5. Atlas index - A directory of our previous Atlas launch coverage. Flight data file Vehicle: Atlas 5 (AV-001) Payload: Hot Bird 6 Launch date: August 21, 2002 Launch window: 6:05-7:34 p.m. EDT (2205-2334 GMT) Launch site: Complex 41, Cape Canaveral AFS, Florida Satellite broadcast: Galaxy 3, Transponder 1, C-band Flight jacket NEW! We are proud to offer a special line of astronaut flight jackets. These authentic flight jackets are stain resistant and machine washable for many years of astronaut training. U.S. STORE U.K. & WORLDWIDE STORE Space station T-shirt NEW! The International Space Station at assembly complete featured on this T-shirt! U.S. STORE U.K. & WORLDWIDE STORE New patch! The official astronaut patch for the planned November shuttle mission to the International Space Station is now available from the Astronomy Now Store! U.S. STORE U.K. & WORLDWIDE STORE NEW! Mission Report Apollo 11 - The NASA Mission Reports Vol. 3 is the first comprehensive study of man's first mission to another world is revealed in all of its startling complexity. Includes DVD! U.S. STORE WORLDWIDE STORE Get e-mail updates Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop (free of charge). | ||||||||
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