Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




LAUNCH PAD
NASA Selects ULA's Workhorse Delta II Rocket for Three Future Missions
by Staff Writers
Centennial CO (SPX) Jul 18, 2012


ULA's Delta II has launched the majority of NASA's critical science missions over the last decade including the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, Genesis, Phoenix Mars Lander, Stardust, the twin GRAIL spacecraft and most recently the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California October 2011.

NASA's Launch Services Program has announced that it selected United Launch Alliance's (ULA) proven Delta II launch vehicle for three future missions. The newly contracted missions include Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) scheduled to launch in July 2014, Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) scheduled to launch in October 2014, and the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS) scheduled to launch in 2016.

All three missions will launch from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California.

"ULA is honored NASA has selected the Delta II launch vehicle to launch these critical science payloads," said Michael Gass, ULA president and CEO. "While we count success one mission at a time, we have been able to count on the Delta II's success 97 times in a row over the last decade. This is a tribute to our dedicated ULA employees, our supplier teammates and our NASA Launch Services Program customer who ensure mission success is the focus of each and every launch."

ULA's Delta II has launched the majority of NASA's critical science missions over the last decade including the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, Genesis, Phoenix Mars Lander, Stardust, the twin GRAIL spacecraft and most recently the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California October 2011.

"The Delta II vehicle continues to offer excellent reliability and best value to our customers," said Gass. "We look forward to working with NASA for these future Delta II launch campaigns."

ULA's next launch is the Atlas V NROL-36 mission for the NRO scheduled Aug. 2 from Space Launch Complex-3 at VAFB, followed by the Atlas V Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission for NASA on Aug. 23 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

ULA program management, engineering, test, and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., and Harlingen, Texas. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

.


Related Links
United Launch Alliance
Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








LAUNCH PAD
ILS Proton Launches SES-5 For SES
Baikonur, Kazakhstan (SPX) Jul 11, 2012
International Launch Services has successfully carried the SES-5 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit on an ILS Proton for SES of Luxembourg. This was the 21th SES satellite launched on ILS Proton, the 23rd launch of a Space Systems/Loral satellite, and the 74th ILS Proton launch overall. The ILS Proton Breeze M launched from Pad 24 at the Cosmodrome at 12:38 a.m. local time (2:38 p.m. ED ... read more


LAUNCH PAD
NASA Selects Launch Services Contract for Jason-3 Mission

NASA Selects Launch Services Contract for Three Missions

NASA Selects ULA's Workhorse Delta II Rocket for Three Future Missions

SpaceX Completes Design Review of Dragon

LAUNCH PAD
Opportunity Continues to Explore Rocks on the Rim of Endeavour Crater

Orbiter Enters, Then Exits, Standby Safe Mode

NASA's Mars rover two weeks from landing

Developing Technologies For Living Off the Land...In Space

LAUNCH PAD
ESA to catch laser beam from Moon mission

Researchers Estimate Ice Content of Crater at Moon's South Pole

Researchers find evidence of ice content at the moon's south pole

Nanoparticles found in moon glass bubbles explain weird lunar soil behaviour

LAUNCH PAD
Hubble Discovers a Fifth Moon Orbiting Pluto

Hubble telescope spots fifth moon near Pluto

New Horizons Doing Science in Its Sleep

It's a Sim: Out in Deep Space, New Horizons Practices the 2015 Pluto Encounter

LAUNCH PAD
Can Astronomers Detect Exoplanet Oceans

The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Dust

Study in Nature sheds new light on planet formation

New Instrument Sifts Through Starlight to Reveal New Worlds

LAUNCH PAD
J-2X Engine With Nozzle Extension Goes the Distance

Cella Energy Signs Fuel Source Deal with Kennedy Space Center

HI-C Sounding Rocket Mission Has Finest Mirrors Ever Made

XCOR Aerospace And Midland Development Corp Announce New Commercial Spaceflight Research Center

LAUNCH PAD
Astronauts in good shape after return

Shenzhou mission sparks 'science fever'

China Beats Russia on Space Launches

China open to cooperation

LAUNCH PAD
Planetary Resources Announces Agreement with Virgin Galactic for Payload Services

Explained: Near-miss asteroids

The B612 Foundation Announces The First Privately Funded Deep Space Mission

Ex-NASA astronauts aim to launch asteroid tracker




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement