Spaceflight Now Home




NewsAlert



Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop.

Enter your e-mail address:

Privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose.



Delta 341 launch timeline
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: May 1, 2009

T-00:00 Liftoff
The Delta 2 rocket's main engine and twin vernier steering thrusters are started moments before launch. Six of the nine strap-on solid rocket motors are ignited at T-0 to begin the mission.
T+01:04.0 SRB Burnout
The ground-start Alliant TechSystems-built solid rocket motors consume all their propellant and burn out.
T+01:05.5 Air-Lit SRM Ignition
The three remaining solid rocket motors strapped to the Delta 2 rocket's first stage are ignited.
T+01:26.0 Jettison SRBs
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+01:30.0 Begin Dog-leg
After initially flying from Vandenberg along a 196-degree flight azimuth, the rocket begins steering itself to obtain the desired orbital inclination. This dog-leg maneuver continues for 42 seconds.
T+02:11.5 Jettison Air-Lit SRMs
Having burned out, the three spent air-started solid rocket boosters are jettisoned toward the Pacific Ocean.
T+04:23.4 Main Engine Cutoff
After consuming its RP-1 fuel and liquid oxygen, the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A first stage main engine is shut down. The vernier engines cut off moments later.
T+04:31.4 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+04:36.9 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 STSS-ATRR spacecraft into the proper orbit.
T+04:41.0 Jettison Payload Fairing
The 10-foot diameter payload fairing that protected the STSS-ATRR cargo atop the Delta 2 during the atmospheric ascent is jettisoned is two halves.
T+10:04.6 Second Stage Cutoff 1
The second stage engine shuts down to complete its first firing of the launch. The rocket and attached spacecraft are now in a coast period before the second stage reignites.
T+52:51.9 Second Stage Restart
Delta's second stage engine reignites for a short firing to adjust the orbit.
T+53:13.0 Second Stage Cutoff 2
The second stage shuts down after a 21-second burn that injects the payload into its desired near-circular, sun-synchronous orbit.
T+58:00.0 Payload Separation
The Space Tracking and Surveillance System Advanced Technology Risk Reduction satellite, or STSS-ATRR, is released from the Delta 2 rocket to complete the launch.

Data source: ULA.

MISSION STATUS CENTER