A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket successfully launched the third Italian-built Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean Basin Observation or COSMO-SkyMed 3 satellite right on schedule at 7:28:25 p.m., October 24 from the Delta rocket's West Coast launch site at Vandenberg, AFB in California.
READ: COSMO-SKYMED 3 MISSION BOOK VIDEO: COSMO-SKYMED 3 IS RELEASED FROM THE DELTA II SECOND STAGE VIDEO: DELTA II LIFTS OFF AT NIGHT WITH COSMO-SKYMED 3 VIDEO: A LONG-RANGE CAMERA FOLLOWS THE LAUNCH AND ASCENT OF THE DELTA ROCKET VIDEO: A REMOTE CAMERA SHOWS THE SMOKY PAD AFTER LAUNCH VIDEO: AN INFRARED CAMERA TRACKS THE ASCENT OF THE DELTA ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: WATCH A REPLAY OF THE ENTIRE COSMO-SKYMED LAUNCH WEBCAST Blasting off from Space Launch Complex 2, the rocket quickly rose into the nighttime sky like a rising meteor and arced westward over the Pacific coast. Delta II 7420-10 configuration vehicle lifted off under the power of a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and four Alliant Techsystems (ATK) strap-on solid rocket boosters. Just over a minute after launch, the solid rockets burnt out and were jettisoned several seconds later, leaving the rocket to continue under the thrust of is single first stage engine. The first stage shut down 4 and a half minutes into flight. At that point, an Aerojet AJ10-118K engine took over, powering the second stage and satelite to orbit. The payload was encased by a 10-foot-diameter composite payload fairing that itself was jettisoned shortly after second stage ignition. The upper stage shutdown eleven minutes after liftoff, and the vehicle enters a 42 minute coast phase before the engine restarted for a 12 second burn to place the COSMO spacecraft into its proper orbit. Tonight's launch marked the 84th consecutive successfule Delta II launch since 1997. "ULA is pleased to have successfully launched the third of four critical Earth observation systems in this series for Boeing and Thales Alenia Space," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Delta Product Line. "With this 43rd successful commercial launch, the Delta II system continues its record of mission success, which is unparalleled in the U.S. space industry. This achievement is due to the hard work of our professional engineers and technicians along with the tremendous support we receive from our government, industry, and supplier mission partners. We look forward to many more Delta II launches in the years ahead." This was the third Delta mission to take place from Vandenberg in the last four months, a launch rate not seen in ten years. A fourth Delta launch is scheduled for February 4, when the venerable workhorse launch vehicle will launch the NOAA-N Prime weather satellite. "People don't always think about it, but this is rocket science, and our Airmen and industry partners make it look easy," Colonel Buck said. "I'm blown away by the professionalism and dedication of all of Team Vandenberg." "Once again Team Vandenberg was part of an international effort to assure our allies a gateway to space," Colonel Buck said. "Each launch provides unique challenges to overcome, whether it's an engineering hurdle or language barrier. When it comes to launch night, however, Vandenberg delivers." The COSMO-SkyMed 3 satellite, entirely developed and produced in Italy, is an end-to-end Earth observation dual-use (civilian and military) system composed of four satellites and ground stations. COSMO-3 is the third of the four COSMO-SkyMed satellites. The first two COSMO-SkyMed satellites were launched at Vandenberg in June and December 2007. Developed by Thales Alenia Space, Italia for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defense, each satellite is equipped with a high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar operating in X-band. When the system is complete, it will consist of a constellation of four radar satellites operating in Sun-synchronous polar orbit. The overall objective of the program is global Earth observation and relevant data responding to the needs of the military and scientific community, as well as to the public demand for environmental control. The system will take imagery of the Earth using an X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument capable of operating in all visibility conditions at the request of institutional and commercial users, including members of the civil and scientific, and defense communities. The COSMO satellites are capable of taking 450 images per day each. The spacecraft are capable of conducting imagery at resolutions less than 1 meter. Civilian customers will utilize the 1-meter data. However, military users will have access to higher-resolution imagery, the exact resolution of which is classified. The Italian Ministry of Defence will access the system about 30 percent of the time, with the remaining 70 percent dedicated to the Italian Space Agency. The allocations of data-collecting time match the financial contributions each is providing for the development of the COSMO-SkyMed constellation. "The third successful Delta launch for the COSMO-SkyMed program further strengthens Boeing's continued commitment to provide domestic and international commercial customers reliable access to space for science, defense and telecommunications services," said Ken Heinly, director of Boeing Launch Products & Services, and president of Boeing Launch Services, Inc. (The Spacearium / Space Media Corporation)  (Image above: A Delta II rocket successfully launches at 7:28 p.m. October 24 from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex-2. The rocket took off carrying the Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed 3 Satellite. (Courtesy Photo))  (Image above: The tower rolls back exposing a Delta II rocket hours before launch Oct. 24. Vandenberg successfully launched the Delta II rocket at 7:28 p.m. The rocket took off from Space Launch Complex-2 carrying the Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed 3 Satellite. (U.S. Air Force photo / Senior Airman Stephanie Longoria))  (Image above: Pad clean up personnel assess damage to Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-2 after the base successfully launched a Delta II rocket at 7:28 p.m. October 24. The rocket took off from SLC-2 carrying the Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed 3 Satellite. (U.S. Air Force photo / Senior Airman Stephanie Longoria))
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