The final flight of an Atlas 5 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California will see the launch of an advanced weather satellite, in addition to the heat shield experiment.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission and NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Accelerator (LOFTID) will launch aboard the Atlas 5 rocket from United Launch Alliance on Thursday, November 10 at 4:25:00 ET from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to NASA. If you’re awake at this ungodly hour, you can catch the action on NASA TV or the live feed provided below.
JPSS-2 will join a fleet of satellites in sun-synchronous orbit from where it will collect data for global weather models by monitoring wildfires, measuring sea surface temperatures and observing blooms of ‘harmful algae in the ocean. Scientists will use this data to generate worldwide weather forecasts and track extreme weather events.
As JPSS-2 separates from the rocket to reach its orbit, its payload companion will begin its journey back to Earth. The LOFTID heat shield will separate from the rocket’s upper stage after a deorbit burn. LOFTID will then inflate and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere to demonstrate its capabilities. The experiment is designed to slow down spacecraft, thereby protecting their payloads from the hot temperatures caused by atmospheric re-entries, and not just Earth’s atmosphere, but those of other planets as well.
“The technology could be further developed to support manned and large robotic missions to destinations such as Mars, Venus and Titan, as well as to return heavier payloads to Earth,” according to NASA.
The launch of the Atlas 5 rocket was originally scheduled for November 1, but was delayed due to a faulty battery. On October 29, NASA announced that the Centaur’s upper stage battery needed to be replaced, and the rocket was cleared for launch five days later.
This will be NASA’s 23rd launch on an Atlas 5 rocket, but the last time the space agency will use ULA’s Atlas 5 for its launch services program (commercial launches of uncrewed missions). In its place, ULA hopes to debut its next Vulcan Centaur rocket early next year.
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