Announcement
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 here at 11:28 p.m. MST today. This was ULA’s 10th launch of the year and marks the 41st Atlas V mission and the 76th launch for ULA. This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V 401 configuration vehicle, which includes a four-meter diameter payload fairing. The Atlas booster for this mission will be powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine and the Centaur upper stage will be powered by a single Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10A engine. MAVEN will examine specific processes on Mars that led to the loss of much of its atmosphere. Data and analysis will help planetary scientists understand the history of climate change on the red planet and provide further information on the history of planetary habitability.
ULA's next launch is the Atlas V NROL-39 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office scheduled for Dec. 5 from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.