Missile warning satellite set for launch on Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral
Emre KellyAn Air Force ballistic missile warning satellite was encapsulated in a protective fairing this week ahead of its Thursday launch from the Space Coast on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, according to builder Lockheed Martin.
The fourth Space Based Infrared System satellite, labeled SBIRS GEO Flight 4, is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41 during a 40-minute window that opens at 7:52 p.m.
The roughly 10,000-pound spacecraft will join a constellation of three other SBIRS satellites more than 22,000 miles above the equator, bolstering the Air Force's ability to detect missile launches and support ballistic missile defense.
[SpaceX fuels Falcon Heavy at KSC ahead of next test fire attempt]
[Launch schedule: Upcoming Florida rocket launches and landings]
Lockheed Martin built SBIRS GEO Flight 4 at its facility in Sunnyvale, California before it was shipped to the Space Coast on Oct. 31.
Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook at @EmreKelly.
Launch Thursday
- Rocket: United Launch Alliance Atlas V
- Mission: SBIRS missile detection satellite
- Launch Time: 7:52 p.m.
- Launch Window: 40 minutes
- Launch Complex: 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
- Weather: Air Force will release forecast soon
Join FloridaToday.com/Space at 6:30 p.m. Thursday for countdown chat and updates, including streaming of ULA's launch webcast.