Restart shuttle: Fwd: Atlas V Launched from VAFB

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From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: December 13, 2014 11:15:52 AM CST
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Atlas V Launched from VAFB

ATLAS LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL

Posted 12/12/2014   Updated 12/12/2014 Email story   Print story



30th Space Wing Public Affairs

12/12/2014 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Team Vandenberg successfully launched the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload from Space Launch Complex-3 here Friday, Dec. 12, at 7:19 p.m. PDT.

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

"This launch was an incredible achievement for Team Vandenberg, ULA, NRO and our other fellow launch partners," said Balts. "This Atlas V launch marked the last of the year and I am very proud of the teamwork that led to the success of not only today's launch, but those that preceded. The hard work and dedication of everyone involved continues to ensure our nation's access to space. This was especially evident by our base electricians who worked tirelessly through last night's extreme weather to ensure power was available for launch."

This is the most powerful Atlas V rocket launched from Vandenberg because it has four solid rocket boosters, producing approximately 250,000 pounds of thrust per solid rocket. These four solids along with the main engine of the Atlas V produced a total thrust around 2 million pounds at liftoff!

"This has been an exciting mission" said 1st Lt. Adam Rich, Lead Atlas V Engineer for the 4th Space Launch Squadron. "Not only is it the first use of four solid rocket boosters on an Atlas here at Vandenberg, but it is also the first launch a new second stage engine design."

The 4th SLS has been working alongside ULA since September to make sure this launch goes off successfully. The Atlas V first stage booster landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard the Antanov AV-124. After all the rocket components arrive here at Vandenberg, they go through a receipt inspection and are then transported to the pad for stacking in an operation known as Launch Vehicle on Stand. Since LVOS, engineers and technicians have been working around the clock to complete all the installations, system checkouts, and tests necessary for launch.

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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload successfully launches from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Dec. 12, at 7:19 p.m. PDT. This is the most powerful Atlas V rocket launched from Vandenberg because it has four solid rocket boosters, producing approximately 250,000 pounds of thrust per solid rocket. These four solids along with the main engine of the Atlas V produced a total thrust around 2 million pounds at liftoff. (U.S. Air Force photo by Michael Peterson/Released)
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload launches, Dec. 12, 2014, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The rocket launched at 7:19 p.m. PDT from Space Launch Complex-3 by Team Vandenberg. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Araos/Released)
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload lights the night sky during its launch, Dec. 12, 2014, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The rocket launched at 7:19 p.m. PDT from Space Launch Complex-3 by Team Vandenberg. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Araos/Released)
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The Official Website of Vandenberg Air Force Base

United Launch Alliance Atlas V Successfully Launches Payload for the National Reconnaissance Office
Most Powerful Atlas V Launched from California

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., (Dec. 12, 2014) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off from Space Launch Complex-3 on Dec. 12 at 7:19 p.m. PST. Designated NROL-35, the mission is in support of national defense.

"We are honored to deliver the NROL-35 spacecraft to orbit together with our customers, the NRO Office of Space Launch and the Air Force," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Atlas and Delta Programs. "This mission was launched on the most powerful Atlas ever launched from California with more than 2 million pounds of liftoff thrust. This was enabled by the addition of the four solid rocket motors, providing additional performance as required to meet our customer's needs."

This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) 541 configuration vehicle, which includes a 5-meter diameter payload fairing along with four Aerojet Rocketdyne solid rocket motors attached to the Atlas booster. The Atlas booster for this mission was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine and the Centaur upper stage was powered by the inaugural flight of the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-1 engine.

"ULA is extremely pleased with this first flight of the new RL10C-1 engine," said Sponnick. "We have been working closely with Aerojet Rocketdyne and our Air Force customers for several years to develop and extensively test this next-generation engine to enable the most reliable and cost-effective upper stage propulsion for our Atlas and Delta programs."

ULA's next launch is the Atlas V Mobile User Objective System (MUOS-3) satellite for the United States Navy scheduled for Jan. 20, 2015, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The EELV program was established by the United States Air Force to provide assured access to space for Department of Defense and other government payloads. The commercially developed EELV program supports the full range of government mission requirements, while delivering on schedule and providing significant cost savings over the heritage launch systems.

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 90 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.

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, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch.

Copyright © 2014 United Launch Alliance, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Photos: Gantry retracted from Atlas 5
December 13, 2014 by Justin Ray
The 8-million-pound mobile service tower is retracted from around the Atlas 5 rocket, revealing the 20-story-tall vehicle for liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
Credit: ULA
Credit: ULA
Credit: ULA
Credit: James Murati/Bionetics
Credit: James Murati/Bionetics

© 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.

Atlas V successfully blasts off from VAFB
Willis Jacobson wjacobson@leecentralcoastnews.com

With a powerful blast of light and a rumbling roar that could be heard — and felt — from miles away, an Atlas V rocket pierced through the cold night air Friday after successfully blasting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The rocket, which contained an upper stage engine and was the most powerful to ever launch from the West Coast, took flight at 7:19 p.m. The launch came a day after its originally scheduled take-off was postponed due to rain.
The rocket carried a classified satellite into orbit for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which controls the country's spy satellites. The mission was dubbed "NROL-35."
Sharlene Fairbanks-Kyte, a public affairs chief with the NRO's Aerospace Data Facility in Aurora, Colo., was among a group of journalists and military personnel who watched the rocket take off from a designated area on base not far from the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-3.
"It's so exciting to see this thing get off the ground," she said. "There is so much teamwork and there are so many experts … and teams of people behind any kind of launch like this. That's what's so incredibly important. And it's so wonderful for America and for our allies. We're truly doing things for the greater good."
Fairbanks-Kyte said she wasn't able to go into specifics about the rocket's payload, but she said its importance is vital.
"Everybody should be really proud of how we are truly helping meet the needs of the intelligence community and the Department of Defense," she said.
The NROL-35 was the 51st Atlas V mission since the vehicle's inaugural launch in 2002, and the third launch in the 541 configuration. Friday's launch was the 10th Atlas V launch from VAFB and the 294th Atlas launch overall, a stretch that dates back to 1959.
Although light rain continued into Friday afternoon, the conditions cleared up enough for officials with United Launch Alliance, which assembled the rocket, and VAFB's 4th Space Launch Squadron to give it the go ahead.
Col. Keith Balts, the 30th Space Wing commander, said the launch was "an incredible achievement for Team Vandenberg, ULA, NRO and our other fellow launch partners."
"This Atlas V launch marked the last of the year and I am very proud of the teamwork that led to the success of not only today's launch, but those that preceded (it)," he said. "The hard work and dedication of everyone involved continues to ensure our nation's access to space. This was especially evident by our base electricians who worked tirelessly through (Thursday) night's extreme weather to ensure power was available for launch."
The Atlas V rocket that was launched Friday contained four solid rocket boosters, which along with its main engine produced about 2 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.
"This has been an exciting mission" said 1st Lt. Adam Rich, the lead Atlas V engineer for the 4th Space Launch Squadron. "Not only is it the first use of four solid rocket boosters on an Atlas here at Vandenberg, but it is also the first launch (with) a new second stage engine design."
Jeff Orschel, a public affairs officer with the NRO, was also among the spectators on base Friday night. Orschel said he was happy to be able to watch the launch and talk to the press, something that would've been impossible at the NRO up until the 1990s.
He said that being able to discuss the nature of the organization, although not in specific terms, was a positive step.
"We think it's important for the American public to understand and hear about who we are and how we support national security," he said.

© Copyright 2014, Lompoc Record, 115 N. H Street Lompoc, CA

AmericaSpace
For a nation that explores
December 13th, 2014
Secretive Vandenberg Launch Caps 14-Mission Banner Year for ULA
By Ben Evans

The Atlas V 541 spears into the darkened Vandenberg sky at 7:19 p.m. PST Friday, 12 December, completing ULA's 14th mission of 2014. Photo Credit: ULA
After a 24-hour delay, Friday night's successful 7:19 p.m. PST launch of the classified NROL-35 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, atop an Atlas V 541 booster from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., has concluded a spectacularly successful run of 14 missions for United Launch Alliance (ULA) in 2014. This is surpassed only by 2009, when the Centennial, Colo.-based launch services organization lofted a total of 16 vehicles. In the last 12 months, ULA—which was formed back in December 2006 as a merger between Boeing and Lockheed Martin—has delivered a record-breaking nine Atlas Vs, together with four Delta IVs and a single Delta II, and placed NASA, military and civilian payloads into low, medium and geostationary Earth orbits. In doing so, ULA has added to an impressive legacy, flying its 80th overall mission in its eight-year history, the 50th Atlas V, the 25th Delta IV and the first Delta II in almost three years.
As described in AmericaSpace's preview article, the heavyweight NROL-35 required the "541" variant of the workhorse Atlas V, equipped with a 17.7-foot-diameter (5.4-meter) payload fairing, four strap-on solid-fueled rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Capable of delivering up to 38,450 pounds (17,440 kg) into low-Earth orbit and up to 18,230 pounds (8,290 kg) into geostationary transfer orbit, the 541 is the second most powerful Atlas V variant currently in active service and was previously employed on just two occasions: to launch NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and the enormously successful Curiosity rover to the Red Planet in November 2011, followed by the NROL-67 classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office in April 2014. Both of those missions flew from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., making NROL-35 the most powerful Atlas V ever to fly from the West Coast.
"We are honored to deliver the NROL-35 spacecraft to orbit together with our customers, the NRO Office of Space Launch and the Air Force," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president of Atlas and Delta Programs. "This mission was launched on the most powerful Atlas ever launched from California. This was enabled by the addition of the four solid rocket motors, providing additional performance as required to meet our customer's needs."
The 541 variant is the second most powerful configuration of the Atlas V and the most powerful of its kind ever to fly from the West Coast. Photo Credit: ULA
Processing of this mission got underway in earnest in September, as work to assemble the Atlas' central Common Core Booster (CCB) and four solid-fueled rockets commenced. Two weeks ago, in late November, hidden within its bulbous payload fairing, the NROL-35 spacecraft was transferred to the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) at Vandenberg for installation atop the launch vehicle. On Wednesday, 10 December, ULA marched smoothly through its Launch Readiness Review (LRR), targeting an opening launch attempt at 7:17 p.m. PST on Thursday. However, weather at the launch site—which lies in a mountain-ringed location, about 9.2 miles (14.8 km) north-west of Lompoc, Calif.—was predicted to be iffy, with heavy rain expected, winds of up to 60 mph (100 km/h) and just a 10-percent likelihood of acceptable conditions at T-0. By 1:40 p.m. PST, "due to predicted violations of multiple weather criteria", the launch was scrubbed and rescheduled for 7:13 p.m. PST Friday. The rollback of the Mobile Service Tower (MST) had not taken place and Vandenberg officials cautioned that the chances of a successful launch on Friday carried only a 40-percent probability of acceptable weather.
Nonetheless, efforts to launch NROL-35 on Friday shifted into high gear and the 191-foot-tall (58.3-meter) Atlas V 541 stack underwent electrical, mechanical and fluid connections and flight control systems checkouts at SLC-3E. Unlike Cape Canaveral, where the rocket is assembled in the Vertical Integration Facility, some 1,200 feet (360 meters) from the pad, the Vandenberg MST is actually situated on SLC-3E and rolls back before launch. This enables the vehicle to be assembled and maintained in launch position.
At T-2 hours and 30 minutes, a built-in hold in the countdown occurred, prior to the loading of cryogenic propellants into the CCB and the Centaur. Liquid oxygen was transferred into the tanks of the upper stage and had entered a "topping" mode to replenish the effects of cryogenic boil-off by T-64 minutes. Meanwhile, the three-step process to fuel the CCB with liquid oxygen and a highly refined form of rocket-grade kerosene (known as "RP-1") got underway, stepping smartly through Slow Fill, Fast Fill and Topping milestones. By 6:53 p.m. PST, fueling concluded. With all tanks confirmed at flight levels, the final checkout of the Flight Termination System (FTS)—which is tasked with destroying the vehicle in the event of a major accident during ascent—was performed and the ascent software was updated. However, the weather outlook had deteriorated to about 30 percent favorable and a revised T-0 of 7:19 a.m. was announced shortly afterwards.
Under a cloak of darkness, 2014 ended with a secretive launch on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office. Photo Credit: ULA
A final "Go-No Go" poll of all 27 stations was conducted by the ULA Launch Control Team at 7:13 p.m., producing a definitive "Go for Launch", and at 7:15 p.m. PST, four minutes before the planned T-0, the Terminal Countdown was initiated. During this phase, the Atlas V transitioned to internal power and at T-60 seconds the Launch Control System was enabled and the vehicle's computer's assumed primary command of all critical functions. Two and a half seconds before liftoff, the Russian-built RD-180 engine at the base of the CCB roared to life, generating 860,000 pounds (390,000 kg) of propulsive yield. Combined with the four strap-on boosters—each of which punches out 285,500 pounds (129,500 kg) of thrust—the most powerful Atlas V ever to fly from Vandenberg was released from SLC-3E and commenced its climb-out from the launch complex at T+1.1 seconds. With the characteristic loud crackle of the solid-fueled boosters, AmericaSpace's Launch Tracker noted, the 14th ULA mission of 2014 was on its way to orbit.
Shortly after clearing the tower, it executed a combined pitch, roll and yaw program maneuver to position itself onto the proper flight azimuth to inject NROL-35 into orbit. As described in the Notice to Airmen and Mariners (NOTAM) for the mission, several sea-closure areas were activated through 14 December, along the western coastal waters off Baja California and extended southwards into a virtually uninhabited stretch of the Pacific Ocean, far to the north-west of the Galapagos Islands, providing further evidence of the suspected highly elliptical, "Molniya-type" nature of NROL-35's orbital destination. "Navigational warnings and the four-minute shift in launch time on subsequent days," explained Spaceflight101, "confirms that NROL-35 was heading to a highly elliptical orbit with a fixed apogee over the Northern Hemisphere." As expected for a classified mission, only the initial portion of ascent was covered live, before heading into a communications blackout, and confirmation of the successful insertion of the payload into orbit was revealed about 75 minutes later.
A little under a minute into the flight, with the RD-180 still burning hot and hard, the rocket burst through the sound barrier, at which point maximum aerodynamic stresses (colloquially known as "Max Q") were experienced through the Atlas' airframe. In response to this aerodynamic situation, the engine was temporarily throttled back to 95 percent of its rated performance. By about 90 seconds into the flight, the four strap-on boosters' chamber pressures began to tail off and they were burned out and jettisoned in two pairs, over a roughly 2-second period, from the rapidly moving vehicle. At this point in the ascent, the Atlas V was traveling in excess of 4,500 mph (7,240 km/h).
Launch had been delayed by 24 hours, due to heavy rainfall and associated violations of Launch Commit Criteria in the Vandenberg area. Photo Credit: ULA
Approximately ten seconds prior to Booster Engine Cutoff (BECO), the Atlas V throttled down to a constant 4.6 G and the now-exhausted CCB separated from the stack at about 4.5 minutes into the ascent. "Following the cutoff of the Atlas V core booster, the mission updates have been stopped," explained AmericaSpace's Launch Tracker. "This is a standard operating procedure for the National Reconnaissance Office, where they use a number of tracks and deceptions in an attempt to disguise the orbital insertion of the NROL spacecraft." The payload fairing was jettisoned at 7:24:15 p.m. PST and the turn then came for the Centaur—powered, for the first time on this mission, by Aerojet Rocketdyne's liquid oxygen/hydrogen RL-10C engine—which carried the key responsibility for delivering the heavyweight NROL-35 payload into its required orbit. The Centaur's engine is capable of restarting in flight, although the exact number of "burns" it actually executed remains unknown at present.
Thus was concluded ULA's 14th mission of 2014, placing this year in second place for the highest number of vehicles ever launched by the Centennial, Colo.-based launch services organization in a single 12-month period. Only 2009 and its impressive tally of 16 Atlas V, Delta II and Delta IV flights stands ahead of it, although that record is expected to be tied in 2015, when ULA plans an ambitious salvo of three Delta IVs, one Delta II and as many as 12 Atlas Vs, including its first Orbital Sciences Corp. Cygnus cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Next year's mammoth 16 launches will include two flights by the most powerful Atlas V currently in active operational service—the "551" variant, equipped with a 17.7-foot-diameter (5.4-meter) payload fairing, five strap-on solid-fueled rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage—to loft two members of the Multi-User Objective System (MUOS) constellation into orbit in January and August, on behalf of the Department of Defense. Additional tasks for the Atlas V include the fourth flight of the classified X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) mini-shuttle and a number of military, scientific and commercial satellites. Meanwhile, the Delta II will launch NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) environmental research mission in January and the Delta IV Medium is slated to deliver three military payloads into orbit. Thirteen of the missions (including all but one of the planned Atlas Vs) are expected to originate from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and just three from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
ULA's triumphant year began with the launch of TDRS-L in January. Photo Credit: AmericaSpace / Mike Killian
Yet as 2014 enters its final weeks, ULA can reflect upon a year which has brought it tremendous success and a measure of vindication in the face of harsh criticism. The company kicked off its manifest in January by launching NASA's latest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-L)—also highlighted in an expansive AmericaSpace Photo Feature—atop an Atlas V 401 to support both human and robotic space missions. Less than a month later, the Delta IV Medium+ 4,2, equipped with a 13-foot-diameter (4-meter) payload fairing and two strap-on solid-fueled boosters, delivered the fifth member of the Global Positioning System Block IIF network (GPS IIF-5) into medium Earth orbit. The mission marked the triumphant return to flight for the Medium, which had suffered a period of unexpectedly reduced upper-stage thrust during an October 2012 launch and, although it flew again the following year, succumbed to several months of delays in the wake of a Phase II investigation into the original incident. As well as bringing the Medium back to full flight status, the GPS IIF-5 mission marked the 25th overall launch of a Delta IV since the vehicle's maiden voyage, back in November 2002.
ULA next successfully staged two missions within a single week of each other, boosting an Atlas V 401 from Vandenberg on 3 April with the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)-19 satellite and the long-delayed NROL-67 classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, atop an Atlas V 541 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 10 April. Interestingly, DMSP-19 marked ULA's 80th launch in just over seven years of operations. Remarkably, and in line with the organization's "Perfect Product Delivery" motto, none of those missions had produced an outright failure and loss of payload, despite a number of upper-stage troubles which affected both the Atlas V and Delta IV.
Although launching two missions with a seven-day interval was not a "first"—ULA had previously achieved this on three occasions in 2007 and once in both 2008 and 2011—a new record was established in May 2014, when two vehicles were despatched within just five days of each other, from the same launch site. On 17 May, a Delta IV Medium+ 4,2 departed the Cape's Space Launch Complex (SLC)-37B, carrying the GPS IIF-6 satellite, and was followed on 22 May by an Atlas V from the Cape's SLC-41, laden with the classified NROL-33 payload. The latter was widely suspected to be an upgraded Satellite Data Systems (SDS) military communications satellite, bound for geostationary transfer orbit.
After four scrubbed launch attempts, Space Launch Complex (SLC)-37B reverberated to the roar of rocket engines on 28 July with the launch of the long-delayed AFSPC-4 mission. Photo Credit: John Studwell/AmericaSpace
Only weeks after the establishment of the five-day record, ULA smashed its own personal best, by delivering both the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)-4 and GPS IIF-7 missions within just four days of one another. Riding the Delta IV Medium+ 4,2 from SLC-37B at the Cape, the AFSPC-4 spacecraft—which comprised two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites and a single Automated Navigation and Guidance Experiment for Local Space (ANGELS) satellite—was launched on 28 July, after several days of weather-related delays, followed by GPS IIF-7, aboard an Atlas V 401 from SLC-41 on the evening of 1 August. The successful launches meant that its fleet of boosters had staged three times as many missions in 2014 as its leading competitor, SpaceX, which had attempted earlier in the year to initiate a legal challenge to ULA's perceived monopoly of the military launch market. Responding to this criticism with a dignified, yet punishing, "Results over Rhetoric" salvo, ULA's position was strengthened in July when the U.S. Government formally requested the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to dismiss SpaceX's lawsuit.
Dovetailed into the rapid-fire Atlas V and Delta IV campaign came the return to flight, on 2 July, of the long-serving Delta II, which was making its first mission for almost three years. Original plans called for it to be phased out of service, following Air Force plans to discontinue its use of the vehicle, but in September 2011 it was announced that NASA had added the Delta II to its NASA Launch Services (NLS)-II contract, which provided for the delivery of payloads weighing about 550 pounds (250 kg) into minimum circular orbits of 125 miles (200 km). Launching from SLC-2W at Vandenberg, the Delta II successfully transported NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2 spacecraft aloft and is currently also manifested to launch the Solar Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) in January 2015.
The return to flight of the Delta II deserves a note to recognize the accomplishments of all three of ULA's boosters. With a launch history in excess of 150 missions, the Delta II is one of the most reliable U.S. vehicles currently in service and under ULA's watch it has lofted the Dawn spacecraft to the protoplanet Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres in September 2007 and the Kepler observatory in March 2009. Meanwhile, the Atlas V has boosted the Juno spacecraft and the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Curiosity rover for NASA and the Delta IV—in its Medium and Heavy configurations—has supported a variety of satellites for reconnaissance, weather, communications and early-warning purposes. At the end of 2014, ULA has staged 91 missions in its eight years of operation, including 27 Delta II missions, 43 Atlas V missions and 21 Delta IVs. And when one extends the history of those three vehicles beyond ULA's tenure, the Delta II has flown 152 times since its maiden voyage in February 1989, the Atlas V 51 times since its first mission in August 2002 and the Delta IV 28 times since the dawn of its operational life, back in November 2002.
Twelve days after launching GPS IIF-7, ULA launched the WorldView-3 Earth-imaging satellite from Vandenberg on 13 August, the classified CLIO mission from the Cape on 16 September and the GPS IIF-8 payload from the Cape on 29 October. All three rode atop Atlas V 401 boosters. However, the definitive flight of 2014 was the return of the Delta IV Heavy for its eighth career launch on 5 December, carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on its inaugural shakedown voyage in a highly elliptical Earth orbit. With the NROL-35 mission having wrapped up ULA's 2014 manifest—and after what Col. Keith Balts, commander of the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg described as "an amazing year"—the stage is now set for a record-tying 16 launches in 2015.

Copyright © 2014 AmericaSpace - All Rights Reserved