ULA Atlas V Rocket Launch Set For Friday, Weather 80-Percent Favorable ‘Go’ For Launch

By  //  August 18, 2017

launch window opens at 8:03 a.m. ET

ABOVE VIDEO: United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is set to liftoff Friday, August 18, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is set to liftoff Friday, August 18, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The launch window is set begin at 8:03 a.m. ET

Meteorologists from the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron expect favorable weather conditions Friday morning. Thick clouds are the primary concern for tomorrow’s launch. The probability of favorable conditions has been upgraded to 80-percent.

  • Rocket: Atlas V 401
  • Payload: NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay System (TDRS)-M
  • Launch Date: Targeting Aug. 18, 2017, pending Eastern Range approval
  • Launch Time: 8:03 a.m. EDT at the beginning of a 40-minute launch window
  • Launch Location: Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Mission Description: The addition of TDRS-M to the Space Network (SN) will provide the ability to support space communication for an additional 15 years. The network consists of TDRS satellites that transmit data to and from ground stations on Earth for NASA missions and expendable launch vehicles. Without the Space Network, scientists, engineers and control room staff would be unable to readily access data from missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station.

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Launch Notes: This launch will be ULA’s fifth of 2017 and 120th overall. A ULA Atlas V also launched TDRS-K mission in 2013 and TDRS-L in 2014. This mission will mark the 72nd Atlas V rocket since its inaugural launch in 2002.

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunchtwitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch.

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