Military Space

Israel launches radar spy satellite into retrograde orbit

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Israel’s Ofek 13 radar spy satellite lifted off aboard an Israeli-built Shavit 2 launch vehicle. Credit: Israel Ministry of Defense Israel’s military launched a radar spy satellite March 28 from an air base south of Tel Aviv, adding an all-weather observation sentinel to the country’s fleet of intelligence-gathering spacecraft. A solid-fueled Shavit 2 launcher delivered …

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Photos: ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral

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Carrying a sophisticated billion-dollar missile detection satellite for the U.S. military, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday with 1.6 million pounds of thrust from a Russian RD-180 main engine and twin solid rocket boosters. The 194-foot-tall (59-meter) Atlas 5 rocket lifted off at 1:37 p.m. EDT (1737 …

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Atlas 5 rocket launches infrared missile detection satellite for U.S. Space Force

Aerojet Rocketdyne, AJ-60A, Atlas 5, AV-091, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Centaur, Complex 41, CubeSats, Early warning, Launch, LM 2100, Military Space, Missile warning, Mission Reports, News, RD-180, RL10, SBIRS, SBIRS GEO 5, SBIRS GEO Flight 5, TDO, TDO 3, TDO 4, United Launch Alliance, US Air Force Academy, US Space Force, Vertical Integration Facility, X Home Page Highlight / By

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasts off with the U.S. military’s SBIRS GEO 5 satellite. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now An upgraded, cyber-hardened $1 billion satellite to support the U.S. military’s missile defense systems rode into orbit from Cape Canaveral Tuesday at the tip of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. …

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Problem during fueling preps forces Atlas 5 launch delay

Aerojet Rocketdyne, AJ-60A, Atlas 5, AV-091, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Centaur, Complex 41, CubeSats, Early warning, Launch, LM 2100, Military Space, Missile warning, Mission Reports, RD-180, RL10, SBIRS, SBIRS GEO 5, SBIRS GEO Flight 5, TDO, TDO 3, TDO 4, United Launch Alliance, US Air Force Academy, US Space Force, Vertical Integration Facility, X Home Page Highlight / By

The payload shroud of ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket, containing the SBIRS GEO 5 missile warning satellite. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance called off a launch attempt Monday after hitting a snag during preparations to fill an Atlas 5 rocket with cryogenic propellants at Cape Canaveral, delaying the liftoff of a new U.S. Space …

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Photos: Atlas 5 ready for liftoff with SBIRS GEO 5

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These photos show a 194-foot-tall (59-meter) United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket standing on pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in advance of a planned launch with the U.S. Space Force’s fifth SBIRS missile warning satellite. The Atlas 5 rocket is set for launch during a 40-minute window opening at 1:35 p.m. EDT …

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U.S. military warning sentinel attached to Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral

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The U.S. Space Force’s fifth SBIRS GEO early warning satellite — encapsulated inside the Atlas 5 rocket’s payload shroud — arrives at the Vertical Integration Facility on May 7. Credit: United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance crews at Cape Canaveral have topped off an Atlas 5 rocket for liftoff Monday with the U.S. military’s next …

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China launches military observation satellite

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A Long March 4C rocket lifts off with the Yaogan 34 military observation satellite. Credit: Xinhua China launched an optical Earth observation satellite April 30, beginning a mission designed to provide detailed reconnaissance imagery to the Chinese military. The Yaogan 34 spacecraft lifted off on top of a medium-class Long March 4C rocket at 3:27 …

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Spy satellite successfully launched from California military base

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A Delta 4-Heavy rocket lifts off Monday from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: National Reconnaissance Office A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket climbed into orbit Monday from a military base northwest of Los Angeles, delivering to space a classified U.S. government spy satellite as large as a school bus …

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Photos: Delta 4-Heavy rocket awaits liftoff from historic SLC-6 launch pad

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A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket is awaiting liftoff with a classified U.S. government spy satellite at Vandenberg Air Force Base’s historic Space Launch Complex-6, a picturesque rocket facility that was once intended to support launches of military astronauts and space shuttles. These photos show the triple-body rocket, clad in orange thermal insulation, standing …

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One of ULA’s four remaining Delta 4 rockets set to launch from California

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A Delta 4-Heavy rocket stands on Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Credit: United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance ground crews on California’s Central Coast are gearing up to send a classified U.S. government spy satellite into orbit as soon as Monday — weather permitting — aboard one of the company’s …

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