ULA - Delta IV / AFSPC-4 Mission poster.
July 28, 2014
Image above: A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket, with the Air Force's AFSPC-4 mission aboard, is readied for launch from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Monday, July 28, the launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV carrying the AFSPC-4 mission from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Was launched at 6:43 p.m. EDT.
Launch of AFSPC-4 on Delta IV Rocket from Cape
The twin GSSAP spacecraft will support U.S. Strategic Command space surveillance operations as a dedicated Space Surveillance Network (SSN) sensor. The GSSAP will also support Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC SPACE) tasking to collect space situational awareness data, allowing for more accurate tracking and characterization of man-made orbiting objects.
One of the two GSSAP spacecraft. Image Credit: USAF/SNC
The ANGELS satellite is managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate. As part of AFRL’s research in advanced Space Situational Awareness (SSA), ANGELS examines techniques for providing a clearer picture of the environment surrounding our nation’s vital space assets.
AFSPC-4 was the 33rd ULA mission for the U.S. Air Force. It will be the eighth of 15 planned missions ULA is slated to launch in 2014, and ULA’s 85th since the company formed in 2006.
For more information abou United Launch Alliance (ULA), visit: http://www.ulalaunch.com/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: ULA/ULA TV/USAF/SNC.
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