WASHINGTON — A classified U.S. Space Force mission flew to geostationary Earth orbit July 30 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.
The rocket lifted off at 6:45 a.m. Eastern from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The mission designated USSF-51 is a classified National Security Space Launch (NSSL) launch. It marked ULA’s 100th national security mission and the last NSSL launch on an Atlas 5 rocket. ULA’s next national security flight will be on the new Vulcan Centaur rocket pending a successful second certification launch slated for September.
The Atlas 5 that launched USSF-51 was powered by a single-engine Centaur upper stage and five strap-on solid boosters. The core stage was powered by a Russian-made RD-180 engine.
At the request of the government, ULA ended the launch webcast about three-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, following payload fairing jettison.