The U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing supported the United Launch Alliance’s 100th launch, an Atlas V 421 flying the Morelos-3 communications satellite for Mexico’s Secretariat of Communications and Transportation on Oct. 2. from Launch Complex 41 here at 6:28 a.m. EDT.
“Our capabilities in space have always been, and will continue to be, leveraged through partnerships with industry,” said Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, 45th Space Wing commander. “I am very proud of our team and their support of ULA’s historic record number of launches since 2006. We are the Nation’s premier gateway to space and we stand ready to support.”
Lockheed Martin’s Commercial Launch Services provided the Atlas V rocket that carried the Morelos-3 to its destination in space. The satellite is a part of the Mexsat constellation of satellites that delivers advanced telecommunications throughout Mexico, providing secure communications for Mexico’s national security needs in addition to providing communications to rural zones, as a complement to other existing networks.
Eastern Range instrumentation provides radar tracking, telemetry, communications, command/control sites, camera and optical sites, and other support capabilities such as meteorology. Instrumentation is necessary to safely and successfully conduct civil, commercial, and national security spacelift operations and ballistic missile tests and evaluation. Eastern Range assets are based on dependable designs and technology and are arrayed in a highly efficient architecture designed to ensure safety of the launch environment and the public at large.
