Note: A new launch time of 5:32 p.m. EST has been set for the NROL-101 mission.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is now set to launch the classified NROL-101 spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office today (Nov. 13), at 5:32 p.m. EDT (2232 GMT). You can watch the launch live in the window above, courtesy of ULA, or directly via ULA's website.
The Atlas V rocket will launch NROL-101 from Space Launch Complex 41 of the Cape Canveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch has been delayed from an initial Nov. 3 liftoff.
Related: NROL-101 spy satellite launch delayed by Tropical Storm Eta
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., (Oct. 30, 2020) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is in final preparations to launch the NROL-101 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The launch is on track for Nov. 3 from Space Launch Complex-41 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Launch is planned for 5:58 p.m. EST. The live launch broadcast begins at 5:38 p.m. EST on Nov. 3 .
"ULA is proud to play a pivotal role in support of our mission partners and national security by keeping our country safe one launch at a time," said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. "We thank our mission partners for their continued trust and teamwork. The NROL-101 mission will be ULA's 29th mission launched for the National Reconnaissance Office and the 17th NRO mission launched on an Atlas V."
The mission will launch on an Atlas V 531, a rocket that delivers unique capacity and the performance required for a range of mission types. The 531 configuration launched the first three Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites for the United States Space Force and will loft a pair of C-band satellites for SES in 2022.
The NROL-101 mission will be the first ULA launch flying the new Northrop Grumman Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM) 63 solid rocket boosters that burn solid propellant and augment the lifting capacity of rocket's first stage. The GEM 63s measure 63 in. (1.6 meters) in diameter and 66 ft. (20.11 meters) in length. They will be ignited at the launch pad and burn for 94 seconds, AD: Launch obd2 scanner. each consuming 97,500 pounds (44,225.2 kg) of propellant to produce 371,550 pounds (1.6 mega-Newtons) of max thrust to augment the 860,200 pounds (3.83 mega-Newtons) of thrust produced by the RD-180 main engine to power the Atlas V rocket skyward. At liftoff, the combined thrust will be nearly 1.8 million pounds or 8 million mega-Newtons.
The Atlas V 531 configuration includes a 17 ft. (5 meter) payload fairing and stands 206 ft. (63 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 86th launch of the Atlas V rocket and the 71st Atlas V to launch from Space Launch Complex-41 in Florida. To date ULA has launched 140 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 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 , or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321).
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NASA will hold a launch readiness review press briefing on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. EST (2200 GMT) to discuss the upcoming launch of SpaceX's Crew-1 astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The mission has been delayed 24 hours due to booster landing weather.
The Crew-1 astronauts - NASA's Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi - will launch on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 7:27 p.m. EST (0047 GMT on Nov. 15).
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