Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Jan. 21 Live Broadcast: Atlas V USSF-8

Watch live on Fri., Jan. 21, 2022 as ULA's Atlas V rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with the U.S. Space Force (USSF) - 8 mission for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Comma...

Atlas V USSF-8

A ULA Atlas V 511 rocket will launch the U.S. Space Force (USSF) - 8 mission for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC). USSF-8 will launch two identical Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites—GSSAP-5 and GSSAP-6—directly to a near-geosynchronous orbit appr...

USSF-8

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Geosynchronous Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Geosynchronous Orbit Space Launch Complex 41 Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA Probability: 90%

USSF-8 will launch two identical Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites GSSAP-5 and GSSAP-6 directly to a near-geosynchronous orbit approximately 36,000 km above the equator. Data from the GSSAP will uniquely contribute to timely and accurate orbital predictions, further enabling space flight safety including satellite collision avoidance. Unique to this mission is the first and only planned flight of the Atlas V 511 configuration.

Telemetry

Launch trajectory and telemetry simulations provided by Flight Club - a rocket launch simulator and orbital trajectory visualiser for all things space!

Updates

Jay • Jan. 22, 2022, 2:41 a.m.

Launch successful


SwGustav • Jan. 21, 2022, 4:57 p.m.

Updating weather


SwGustav • Jan. 21, 2022, 1:59 p.m.

Updating weather


Nosu • Jan. 20, 2022, 3:13 p.m.

T-0 confirmed by ULA



Atlas V 511

Family:
Configuration: 511

Atlas V is an expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. It was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin and is now operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture with Boeing. Each Atlas V rocket uses a Russian-built RD-180 engine burning kerosene and liquid oxygen to power its first stage and an American-built RL10 engine burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to power its Centaur upper stage. The RD-180 engines are provided by RD Amross, while Aerojet Rocketdyne provides both the RL10 engines and the strap-on boosters used in some configurations. The 511 version uses a 5m wide fairing, 1 solid rocket booster and one engine on the Centaur stage.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    58.3 m
  • Diameter
    3.81 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.4 m
  • Launch Mass
    590.0 T
  • Thrust
    5490.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Atlas V 511
  • Family
  • Variant
    511
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Atlas V 511
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $130000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    10986.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    5250.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

(ULA)

Interim CEO: John Elbon Founded: 2006 Successes: 173 Failures: 0 Pending: 38

Agency Type:

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. ULA launches from both coasts of the US. They launch their Atlas V vehicle from LC-41 in Cape Canaveral and LC-3E at Vandeberg. Their Delta IV launches from LC-37 at Cape Canaveral and LC-6 at Vandenberg.

INFO WIKI

Related News

Spaceflight Now

Atlas 5 rocket delivers two military inspector satellites to high-altitude orbit

Two satellites for a once-classified U.S. military program to track and inspect other spacecraft in orbit — a mission the Space Force’s top general equates to a “neighborhood watch” — lifted off from Cape Canaveral Friday on top of a Unite…

Spaceflight Now

ULA’s first launch of 2022 to debut unflown variant of Atlas 5 rocket

United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket has flown in 10 different configurations over 90 missions since 2002, each version optimized to haul satellites of a certain size and mass into space. The only variant of the Atlas 5 rocket yet to fl…

Spaceflight Now

Atlas 5 rocket rolls to launch pad for Space Force mission

Gearing up for its first mission of the year, United Launch Alliance rolled an Atlas 5 rocket to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Thursday, a day before liftoff with a pair of U.S. Space Force satellites on a flight that will debut a versi…

SpaceNews

ULA launches two space surveillance satellites for U.S. Space Force

In its first mission of 2022, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on Jan. 21 launched a pair of space-monitoring satellites for the U.S. Space Force.

NASA Spaceflight

ULA’s Atlas V launches satellite-inspection mission for Space Force

United Launch Alliance will carry out an Atlas V launch Friday with the third pair of GSSAP satellites for the US Space Force. Flying in its never-before-used 511 configuration, Atlas will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station a…

Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Space Launch Complex 41


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 16 hours ago
CAS500-2 & Others
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Ride-share of 45 satellites including: * CAS500-2 (KASA, South Korea) The South Korean CAS500-1 and -2 satellites will image the Earth in pan-chr…


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 5 hours ago
Starlink Group 10-38
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz-5
Success
4 days, 5 hours ago
Demo Flight
45/1 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Demonstration Flight for Russia's new Soyuz-5 launch vehicle, with a mass simulator on board. The launch was suborbital with the simulator splashing …


Ariane 64
Success
4 days, 14 hours ago
Amazon Leo (LE-02)
Ariane Launch Area 4 - Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Amazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper, is a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit that will offer broadband internet access, thi…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 21 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-36
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon Heavy
Success
5 days, 9 hours ago
ViaSat-3 F3 (ViaSat-3 Asia-Pacific)
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

The ViaSat-3 is a series of three Ka-band satellites is expected to provide vastly superior capabilities in terms of service speed and flexibility fo…


Atlas V 551
Success
6 days, 23 hours ago
Amazon Leo (LA-06)
Space Launch Complex 41 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Amazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper, is a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit that will offer broadband internet access, thi…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Starlink Group 17-16
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Progress MS-34 (95P)
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.


Long March 6
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
PRSC-EO3
Launch Complex 16 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Optical Earth observation satellite for the Pakistan government's SUPARCO.