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CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — United Launch Alliance will once again attempt to send up its Atlas V rocket that will carry a ViaSat communications satellite on Thursday night after a faulty oxygen valve issue scrubbed the first two attempts.
What You Need To Know
- According to ULA, the faulty liquid oxygen tank vent valve that scrubbed the first two launch attempts have been replaced
According to ULA, crews on Wednesday and Thursday of last week faced an issue with the Atlas V booster’s liquid oxygen tank vent valve, which resulted in the two launch attempts being scrubbed.
However, ULA stated the problem as been resolved.
“Following the scrub last week due to a faulty booster liquid oxygen tank vent valve, the team at the Cape removed and replaced it with a new valve in preparation for this launch attempt,” stated the Colorado-based company.
The ViaSat-3 Flight 2 mission is set to take off on the Atlas V 551 rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated ULA.
A launch window for Thursday night is set for 10:04 p.m. ET and it will close at 10:48 p.m. ET. This means that ULA has only 44 minutes to launch its famed 205-foot-tall (62.5-meter) Atlas V rocket.
The 45th Weather Squadron has given about a 95% chance of good launch conditions with no weather concerns reported.
The Atlas V 551 rocket’s first-stage booster does not land on a droneship or landing zone, which is what the more familiar SpaceX rocket, the Falcon 9, does.
Instead, it will separate and fall into the Atlantic Ocean, where it will be picked up.
About the mission
Global communications company ViaSat’s broadband communications ViaSat-3 Flight 2 satellite will be sent to a geostationary orbit.
In fact, the California-based company stated that it will take a couple of months for it to travel to its destinated orbit. But once there at an orbital slot located at 79 degrees west longitude, the satellite will run a series of in-orbit testing before going into service.
“The ViaSat-3 satellites are each designed to provide coverage over nearly one-third of the Earth and ViaSat-3 F2 is expected to provide services over the Americas to address increasing customer demand. Launched in 2023, the ViaSat-3 F1 satellite will also continue to provide coverage over North America to meet user demand,” ViaSat stated.
The satellite will provide communications services like free Wi-Fi for commercial aircraft, home internet, and connectivity for government and defense mission operations.
Watch the launch here
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Anthony Leone
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