LAUNCH CENTER

Success

Thu Nov 10 2022

United Launch Alliance

JPSS 2 (Joint Polar Satellite System spacecraft No. 2) & LOFTID

Launch Successful

Launch Time

(9:49 AM UTC)

Launch Window Start

(9:25 AM UTC)

Launch Window End

(10:01 AM UTC)

Location

No Recovery Specified

Type

No Recovery Specified

Atlas V 401

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

Type: Earth Science
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.

Location

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Pad

Space Launch Complex 3E