Space Launch Now - Atlas V 401

Atlas V 401

Active

United Launch Alliance (ULA)

Aug. 21, 2002

Description

An Atlas V with a 4 meter diameter fairing, no boosters and a single centaur upper stage engine.

Specifications

Stages
2
Length
58.3 m
Diameter
3.8 m
Fairing Diameter
4.2 m
Launch Mass
590.0 T
Thrust
3827.0 kN
Apogee (Sub-Orbital)
40000.0 km

Family

Name
Atlas V 401
Family
―
Variant
401
Alias
―
Full Name
Atlas V 401

Payload Capacity

Launch Cost
$115000000
Low Earth Orbit
9050.0 kg
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
4950.0 kg
Direct Geostationary
―
Sun-Synchronous Capacity
6670.0 kg

United Launch Alliance

Commercial

CEO: Tory Bruno

ULA 2006

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.

Previous Flights

flew on 41 previous launch(es).

Atlas V 401 | JPSS 2 (Joint Polar Satellite System spacecraft No. 2) & LOFTID

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Nov. 10, 2022, 9:49 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

JPSS is a collaborative program between NOAA and NASA. JPSS-2 is one of five satellites that will comprise the JPSS constellation. These spacecraft gather global measurements of atmospheric, terrestrial and oceanic conditions, including sea and land surface temperatures, vegetation, clouds, rainfall, snow and ice cover, fire locations and smoke plumes, atmospheric temperature, water vapor and ozone. LOFTID is a tech demo for the inflatable heatshield technology. It will attempt to survive a reentry from orbit after JPSS 2 is separated. This test will validate the technology for various applications, such as landing large payloads on Mars and engine reuse on ULA’s Vulcan rocket.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | Lucy

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Oct. 16, 2021, 9:34 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

Lucy is the first mission to explore and study Trojan asteroids. The Trojans are a type of asteroids that orbit the Sun in two groups, in front of and behind Jupiter in its orbit around our star. Since these asteroids have been in such stable orbits for billions of years, they are of great interest as remnants of early Solar System. Lucy is a NASA mission led by NASA Goddard and Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Over the course of 12 years, Lucy will fly by seven different Trojan asteroids and also one main belt asteroid. The complex trajectory to visit all targets will include several Earth gravity assists.

Heliocentric N/A

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Atlas V 401 | Landsat 9

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Sept. 27, 2021, 6:12 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

Landsat 9 is a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey to continue the Landsat program's critical role in monitoring, understanding and managing the land resources needed to sustain human life. Landsat 9, like Landsat 8, has a higher imaging capacity than past Landsats, allowing more valuable data to be added to the Landsat global land archive. Its operational orbit is a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705 km for a mission lifetime of at least 5 years.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | InSight, Mars Cube One 1 & Mars Cube One 2

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
May 5, 2018, 11:05 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

InSight is a robotic Mars lander designed to study the interior and subsurface of Mars, which would in turn help scientists to understand the Earth and Solar System history. Two 6U CubeSats will piggyback with the InSight mission to help relay communications during the probe's entry, descent, and landing (EDL) phase.

Heliocentric N/A #InSight

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Atlas V 401 | TDRS-M

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Aug. 18, 2017, 12:29 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

TDRS-M is an American communications satellite which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, which provides a multitude of communications services to a wide variety of missions.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | Cygnus CRS OA-7 (S.S. John Glenn)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
April 18, 2017, 3:11 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

This is the eighth planned flight of the Orbital ATK's unmanned resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its seventh flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Orbital ATK named the vehicle after astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth and pioneer of human spaceflight.

Low Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | NROL-79

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
March 1, 2017, 5:49 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

Classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Low Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | SBIRS GEO Flight 3 (SBIRS GEO-4)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Jan. 21, 2017, 12:42 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

This geostationary satellite is tasked with providing capabilities for early missile warning and missile defense.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | WorldView-4

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Nov. 11, 2016, 6:30 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

WorldView-4 is a commercial Earth observation satellite to be launched into sun-synchronous orbit. It is operated by DigitalGlobe, which provides imagery for customers such as NASA and Google Earth/Maps. Satellite is to deliver high-quality imagery, with a resolution of up to 31 cm in panchromatic mode, and a resolution of 1.24 m in multispectral mode. To be launched along with the satellite are 7 cubesats. These are tasked with testing various technologies, from data relay and radiation study to a new ion propulsion system.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | Cygnus CRS OA-6 (S.S. Rick Husband)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
March 23, 2016, 3:05 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

This is the sixth flight of Orbital ATK's unmanned resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its fifth flight to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Orbital ATK named the vehicle after astronaut Rick Husband who was the commander of STS-107.

Low Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | GPS IIF-12 (USA-266)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Feb. 5, 2016, 1:38 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

GPS IIF-12 is a next-generation GPS satellite which provides navigational assistance for U.S. military operations on land, at sea, and in the air.

Medium Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | Cygnus CRS Orb-4 (S.S. Deke Slayton II)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Dec. 6, 2015, 9:44 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

This is the 4th mission under NASA's Commercial Resupply Service agreement with Orbital ATK. The unmanned Cygnus cargo vessel delievered approximately 3,500 kg (7,700 lbs.) of supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station. The craft features a longer, enhanced cargo module and remained berthed to the station for 2 months.

Low Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | GPS IIF-11 (USA-265)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Oct. 31, 2015, 4:13 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

GPS IIF-11 is a next-generation GPS satellite which provides navigational assistance for U.S. military operations on land, at sea, and in the air.

Medium Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | NROL-55 (Multipayload mission)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Oct. 8, 2015, 12:49 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

Classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

Low Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | GPS IIF-10 (USA-262)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
July 15, 2015, 3:36 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

GPS IIF-10 is one of the next-generation GPS satellites for the U.S. Air Force, incorporating various improvements to provide greater accuracy, increased signals, and enhanced performance for users.

Medium Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | GPS IIF-8 (USA-258)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Oct. 29, 2014, 5:21 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

GPS IIF-8 is a next-generation GPS satellite which provides navigational assistance for U.S. military operations on land, at sea, and in the air.

Medium Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | CLIO (USA-257)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Sept. 17, 2014, 12:10 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

CLIO is a secret satellite procured by an unidentified US Government Agency from Lockheed Martin. The satellite is likely based on a commercial A2100A bus. Purpose and mission is not known.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | WorldView-3

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Aug. 13, 2014, 6:30 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

WorldView-3 is a commercial Earth observation satellite, providing panchromatic, multispectre and infra-red imagery.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | GPS IIF-7 (USA-256)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Aug. 2, 2014, 3:23 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

GPS IIF-7 is a next-generation GPS satellite which provides navigational assistance for U.S. military operations on land, at sea, and in the air.

Medium Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | NROL-33 (Quasar)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
May 22, 2014, 1:09 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

Classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | DMSP-5D3 F19

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
April 3, 2014, 2:46 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

DMSP-5D3 (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Block 5D3) is the eleventh and most recent version of the military meteorological satellites of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.

Low Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | TDRS-L

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Jan. 24, 2014, 2:33 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

TDRS-L is an American communications satellite which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, which provides a multitude of communications services to a wide variety of missions.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | MAVEN

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Nov. 18, 2013, 6:28 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

MAVEN is a Mars orbiter with a mission to study the martian atmosphere and how it was lost over time.

Heliocentric N/A

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Atlas V 401 | GPS IIF-4 (USA-242)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
May 15, 2013, 9:38 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

GPS Block IIF, or GPS IIF is an interim class of GPS satellite, which will be used to keep the Navstar Global Positioning System operational until the GPS Block IIIA satellites become operational.

Medium Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | SBIRS GEO Flight 2 (USA-241) (SBIRS GEO-2)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
March 19, 2013, 9:21 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

This geostationary satellite is tasked with providing capabilities for early missile warning and missile defense.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | Landsat 8 (DCM)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Feb. 11, 2013, 6:02 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

Landsat 8 is an American Earth observation satellite launched on 11 February 2013. It is the eighth satellite in the Landsat program; the seventh to reach orbit successfully. Originally called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), it is a collaboration between NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provided development, mission systems engineering, and acquisition of the launch vehicle while the USGS provided for development of the ground systems and will conduct on-going mission operations. It comprises the camera of the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS), which can be used to study Earth surface temperature and is used to study global warming.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | TDRS-K

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Jan. 31, 2013, 1:48 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

TDRS-11, known before launch as TDRS-K, is an American communications satellite which is operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, which provides a multitude of communications services to a wide variety of missions.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | NROL-36 (Multipayload mission)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Sept. 13, 2012, 9:39 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Unknown Mission

There are no mission or payload details available for this launch.

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Atlas V 401 | Radiation Belt Storm Probe A

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Aug. 30, 2012, 8:05 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

The Van Allen Probes will study the Van Allen Radiation Belts that surround Earth.

Elliptical Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | NROL-38 (SDS) (USA-236)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
June 20, 2012, 12:28 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Unknown Mission

There are no mission or payload details available for this launch.

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Atlas V 401 | SBIRS GEO Flight 1 (USA-230) (SBIRS GEO-1)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
May 7, 2011, 6:10 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

This geostationary satellite is tasked with providing capabilities for early missile warning and missile defense.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Feb. 11, 2010, 3:23 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a NASA mission which is observing the Sun. SDO is a three-axis stabilized spacecraft, with two solar arrays, and two high-gain antennas, in an inclined geosynchronous orbit around Earth.

Enhanced Geostationary Transfer Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | DMSP-5D3 F18 (USA-210)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Oct. 18, 2009, 4:12 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

The Defence Metoerological Satellite Program (DMSP) monitors meteorological, oceanographic and solar-terrestrial physics for the Department of Defence, managed by Air Force Space Command and operated by NOAA.

Low Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | PAN (USA-207)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Sept. 8, 2009, 9:35 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

A classified US SIGINT satellite. The Government hasn't confirmed which agencies operate the satellite, nor its purpose.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | LRO/LCROSS

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
June 18, 2009, 9:32 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

LRO is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA. Used to map the moon to identify safe landing sites, locating potential resources, characterizing the radiation environment and demonstrating new technologies. The LCROSS is the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, also for NASA. A low cost satellite in order to confirm the existance of water in the southern lunar crater, Cabeus.

Lunar Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | NROL-24 (USA-198)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Dec. 10, 2007, 10:05 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

A military reconnaissance satellite, it's purpose is classified.

Elliptical Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | NROL-30 & NOSS-3 (USA-194)

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
June 15, 2007, 3:12 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

A military reconnaissance satellite, it's purpose is classified, launched with NOSS-3. An intelligence satellite for the US Navy.

Low Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | STP-1

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
March 9, 2007, 3:10 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

Six satellites launched together as part of the Space Test Program.

Low Earth Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Aug. 12, 2005, 11:43 a.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a spacecraft designed to study the geology and climate of Mars, provide reconnaissance of future landing sites, and relay data from surface missions back to Earth. It was launched on August 12, 2005 and reached Mars on March 10, 2006. In November 2006, after five months of aerobraking, it entered its final science orbit and began its primary science phase.

Mars Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | Hellas Sat 2

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
May 13, 2003, 10:10 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

The 3450 kg satellite carries 30 Ku-band transponders to provide direct-to-home voice and video transmissions to much of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, after parking over 39.0° East longitude.

Geostationary Orbit

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Atlas V 401 | Hot Bird 6

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Aug. 21, 2002, 10:05 p.m.

Status: Launch Successful

Mission:

Eutelsat 8 West C, known as Hot Bird 6 prior to 2012 and Hot Bird 13A from 2012 to 2013, is a French communications satellite. Operated by Eutelsat, it provides direct to home broadcasting services from geostationary orbit.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

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