An Atlas IIA rocket successfully carried the GOES-M weather
satellite into space during an early morning launch today.
Liftoff was at 3:23 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 36A at Cape
Canaveral, followed by spacecraft separation into geosynchronous
transfer orbit 27 minutes later. The launch was conducted by
International Launch Services (ILS), using a vehicle built by Lockheed
Martin. The payload was built by Space Systems/Loral for the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
This was the 56th consecutive successful Atlas flight, and the
fourth successful mission for ILS this year.
“We’re proud that Atlas has been playing a role in maintaining our
nation’s weather forecasting ability, by launching all five in the
current series of GOES satellites,” said ILS President Mark Albrecht.
ILS is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. of the United
States and Russian companies Khrunichev State Research and Production
Space Center and RSC Energia. ILS offers the broadest range of
launcher products in the world along with the highest reliability in
the industry.
The vehicle for this launch was designated AC-142. The Atlas
rockets and their Centaur upper stages are built by Lockheed Martin
Space Systems Company-Astronautics Operations at facilities in Denver,
Colo.; Harlingen, Texas; and San Diego, Calif.
ILS’ three-stage Proton and the available Breeze M upper stage are
produced by Khrunichev at its factory near Moscow. The available Block
DM fourth stage is built by Energia, also near Moscow. For more
information, visit www.ilslaunch.com.
