New Horizons

Overview

Destination: Solar Escape Trajectory
Mission: Robotic Exploration

Solar Escape Trajectory Space Launch Complex 41 Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

New Horizons is an interplanetary space probe that was launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), with a team led by S. Alan Stern, the spacecraft was launched in 2006 with the primary mission to perform a flyby study of the Pluto system in 2015, and a secondary mission to fly by and study one or more other Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) in the decade to follow. It is the fifth artificial object to achieve the escape velocity needed to leave the Solar System.

Atlas V 551

Family:
Configuration: 551

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 standard payload fairing sizes are 4 or 5 meters in diameter and of various lengths. Fairings sizes as large as 7.2 m in diameter and up to 32.3 m in length have been considered. The rocket is assembled in Decatur, Alabama and Harlingen, Texas.

Specifications
  • Minimum Stage
    1
  • Max Stage
    2
  • Length
    59.7 m
  • Diameter
    3.8 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.4 m
  • Launch Mass
    573.0 T
  • Thrust
    12269.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Atlas V 551
  • Family
  • Variant
    551
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Atlas V 551
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $153000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    18850.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    8890.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
    3850.0 kg
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

(ULA)

CEO: Tory Bruno Founded: 2006 Successes: 166 Failures: 0 Pending: 43

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

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