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Rocket: Delta 2 (7420)
Payload: CALIPSO & CloudSat
Date: April 28, 2006
Time: 1002 GMT (3:02 a.m. PDT; 6:02 a.m. EDT)
Site: SLC-2W, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Broadcast: AMC 6, Transponder 17, digital, 72° West

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Delta 314 launch timeline
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: April 18, 2006

T-00:00 Liftoff
The Delta 2 rocket's main engine and twin vernier steering thrusters are started moments before launch. The four ground-start strap-on solid rocket motors are ignited at T-0 to begin the mission.
T+01:04.7 Ground SRM Burnout
The ground-start Alliant TechSystems-built solid rocket motors consume all their propellant and burn out.
T+01:22.5 Jettison Ground SRMs
The spent solid rocket boosters are jettisoned to fall into the Pacific Ocean. The spent casings remained attached until the vehicle passed into preset drop zone, clear of offshore oil platforms.
T+04:26.4 Main Engine Cutoff
After consuming its RP-1 fuel and liquid oxygen, the Rocketdyne RS-27A first stage main engine is shut down. The vernier engines cut off moments later.
T+04:35.0 Stage Separation
The Delta rocket's first stage is separated now, having completed its job. The spent stage will fall into the Pacific Ocean.
T+04:40.5 Second Stage Ignition
With the stage jettisoned, the rocket's second stage takes over. The Aerojet AJ118-K liquid-fueled engine ignites for the first of two firings needed to place the CALIPSO and CloudSat spacecraft into the proper orbit.
T+04:45.0 Jettison Payload Fairing
The 10-foot diameter payload fairing that protected the satellites atop the Delta 2 during the atmospheric ascent is jettisoned is two halves.
T+11:15.2 Second Stage Cutoff 1
The second stage engine shuts down to complete its first firing of the launch. The rocket and attached CALIPSO and CloudSat spacecraft spacecraft are now in a long coast period before the second stage reignites. The orbit achieved should be 434 miles at apogee, 115 miles at perigee and inclined 98.08 degrees.
T+59:59.5 Second Stage Restart
Delta's second stage engine reignites for a short firing to raise the orbit's perigee.
T+60:11.6 Second Stage Cutoff 2
The second stage shuts down after a 12-second burst. The orbit achieved should be 436 miles at apogee, 427 miles at perigee and inclined 98.2 degrees.
T+62:24.0 CALIPSO Separation
The joint U.S. and French Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) spacecraft is released from the Delta 2 rocket.
T+95:19.0 DPAF Jettison
the Dual Payload Attach Fitting -- the barrel-like structure that supported CALIPSO during launch and enclosed CloudSat -- is opened up by jettisoning the top portion.
T+96:39.0 CloudSat Separation
NASA's CloudSat spacecraft is released from the Delta 2 rocket to complete the launch.

Data source: Boeing.

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