LAUNCH CENTER

Success

Fri May 20 2005

United States Air Force

NOAA 18

Launch Successful

LAUNCH PREVIEW

Launch Time

(10:22 AM UTC)

Launch Window Start

(10:22 AM UTC)

Launch Window End

(10:22 AM UTC)

RECOVERY OVERVIEW

Location

No Recovery Specified

Type

No Recovery Specified

Rocket Details

Name:

Delta II 7320-10C

Description:

Delta II is an American space launch system developed by McDonnell Douglas, now part of the Delta rocket family operated by United Launch Alliance. With more than 150 missions and a nearly perfect track record, Delta II has established itself as one of the most successful orbital launch systems.

MISSION OVERVIEW

Type: Earth Science
NOAA-18, known before launch as NOAA-N, is a weather forecasting satellite run by NOAA. NOAA-N (18) was launched on May 20, 2005, into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 854 km above the Earth, with an orbital period of 102 minutes. It hosts the AMSU-A, MHS, AVHRR, Space Environment Monitor SEM/2 instrument and High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) instruments, as well as the SBUV/2 ozone-monitoring instrument. It is the first NOAA POES satellite to use MHS in place of AMSU-B. NOAA-18 also hosts Cospas-Sarsat payloads.

COMPLEX OVERVIEW

Location

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Pad

Space Launch Complex 2W