CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE
STATION, Fla., Sept. 2, 2015
/PRNewswire/ -- A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket
carrying the fourth Mobile User Objective System satellite for the
U.S. Navy launched from Space Launch Complex-41 at 6:18 a.m. EDT today. The MUOS-4 spacecraft will
bring advanced, new, global communications capabilities to mobile
military forces, as well as ensure continued mission capability of
the existing Ultra High Frequency satellite communications system.
This is ULA's eighth launch in 2015, the second MUOS satellite
launched in 2015 and ULA's 99th successful launch since
the company was formed in December
2006.
"The ULA team is proud to support the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air
Force by delivering this critical communications asset to orbit
today," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice
president, Atlas and Delta Programs. "Today's successful launch
will enable the MUOS constellation to reach global coverage. The
Lockheed Martin-built MUOS-4 satellite will deliver voice, data,
and video communications capability, similar to a cellular network,
to our troops all over the globe."
This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V Evolved Expendable
Launch Vehicle (EELV) 551 configuration vehicle, which includes a
5-meter diameter payload fairing along with five 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 Aerojet Rocketdyne
RL10C-1 engine.
The U.S. Navy's MUOS is a next-generation narrowband tactical
satellite communications system designed using a combination of
orbiting satellites and relay ground stations to significantly
improve communications for U.S. forces on the move. MUOS will
provide new beyond-line-of-sight communications capabilities,
with smartphone-like simultaneous voice, video and data – to
connect military users almost anywhere around the globe.
ULA's next launch is the Atlas V Morelos-3, communications
satellite for Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services and
Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes, a government agency of
Mexico, scheduled for Oct. 2 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
The EELV program was established by the U.S. 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 95
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.
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SOURCE United Launch Alliance