Atlas 5 Rocket Prepares for First West Coast Launch

From the brink of nothingness to a hopeful future, Lockheed Martin's Atlas rocket program at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has experienced the ultimate swing of emotions over the past two years. Now, a new rocket stands on the launch pad.

In 2003, crews were preparing to fly the final Atlas 2AS rocket from America's leading West Coast launch site. It would be the 284th Atlas booster to fly from the locale, ending a storied 44-year history.

The Atlas 2AS rocket was being retired in favor of the next-generation Atlas 5, which wasn't coming to Vandenberg, instead launching only from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

With Atlas no longer lifting off from Vandenberg, Boeing's new Delta 4 rockets would have all West Coast business under the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. Both EELVs were designed to be cheaper and easier to operate over previous U.S. boosters.

But then the EELV scandal broke. Boeing was found to possess reams of Lockheed Martin proprietary documents, and the Air Force imposed harsh penalties. The military ended Delta 4's Vandenberg monopoly, spurred Lockheed Martin to build a competing launch pad for Atlas 5 and reassigned some satellite deployment missions.

Today, Atlas 5 has six launches scheduled from the West Coast to carry on the Atlas history at the site.

The Space Launch Complex-3 East pad used by the now-retired Atlas 2AS rockets has undergone a rapid facelift to support the much larger Atlas 5 vehicles. Since breaking ground for the overhaul 14 months ago, crews have completed the major construction work and transitioned to preparations for the first launch.

Over the course of several days last week, the first Atlas 5 rocket that will blast off from the site was successfully assembled on the pad.

"We are ushering in a new era of Atlas operations here on the West Coast," said Jim Sponnick, Lockheed Martin Atlas Program vice president. "Seeing a new Atlas 5 on the pad caps a period of sustained construction, test and validation, and signifies a major milestone accomplishment by a very dedicated team."

The first stage -- with its powerful, dual-nozzle RD-180 engine -- was erected Tuesday. The barrel-like interstage hardware was hoisted Wednesday, followed on Thursday by the Centaur upper stage. The fourth day of stacking operations saw the so-called "boat tail" segment mounted atop the Centaur to serve as the interface between the upper stage and rocket's nose cone.

A series of engineering exercises and rehearsals are planned in the coming months to check out the rejuvenated launch pad. Testing the connections between rocket and ground systems comes first. Then, the initial fueling operation will be conducted to pump super-cold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants into the vehicle.

One strap-on solid rocket booster, the payload and the nose cone will be installed later to complete the 191-foot tall vehicle for flight.

The rocket, known as AV-006, will fly in the Atlas 5-411 configuration. That model is distinguished by a four-meter diameter nose cone, the one solid motor and single-engine Centaur.

Earlier plans called for this launch to use a 401-version rocket with no SRBs. However, one booster has been added to provide additional thrust during the first 90 seconds of ascent.

The mission will deliver a classified satellite cargo into Earth orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office. Liftoff is expected sometime next spring, pending readiness of the payload.

"Space Launch Complex-3 East will soon begin to launch many critical payloads for our government customers as we perform our mission to provide assured to space for the nation," Sponnick said. "Hats off to the construction team for the outstanding job they have done in getting the new pad ready."

The pad modifications, which included raising the mobile service tower, building a launch platform for the rocket to stand upon and beefing up the flame trench, have progressed without any serious setbacks.

"We had to have everybody marching in synch with us, and they did do that," said Rick Beach, Lockheed Martin's director of the Vandenberg Atlas 5 program. "Attaboys for the Air Force team to be able to accomplish that and I know they're proud of their participation too. I think a lot of people were very surprised to see it could come together like this."

Vandenberg is the primary U.S. launch site to place satellites into polar orbits that fly above most of the planet's surface.

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