NASA yesterday successfully launched its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft, commencing its 10-month journey to the “Red Planet,” according to an agency statement.
The launch took place at 1:28 p.m. EST aboard one of United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V rockets at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The Atlas V 401 configuration included a four-meter diameter payload fairing, a RD-180 booster and a Centaur upper stage powered by a single Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10A engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne is a division of GenCorp [GY].
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| Engineers and technicians prepare the MAVEN spacecraft for encapsulation inside its payload fairing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Photo: NASA. |
MAVEN separated from the rocket’s Centaur upper stage 53 minutes after launch, according to Lockheed Martin [LMT], which developed the spacecraft. Soon after, it deployed its two solar arrays and started producing power. Initial communication with the spacecraft was then obtained by the mission’s flight operations team at Lockheed Martin’s space systems facility near Denver.
MAVEN will examine specific processes on Mars that led to the loss of much of its atmosphere, ULA said in a statement. Data and analysis will help planetary scientists understand the history of climate change on Mars and provide further info on the history of planet hospitability.
ATK [ATK] said it created the 10-foot diameter heat shield, which provides essential protection for the first stage of the launch vehicle. ATK also said it manufactured the fuel and pressurant tanks for MAVEN as well as the reaction control system propellant tank for the Atlas V.
ULA’s next launch is the Atlas V NROL-39 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on Dec. 5 from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing [BA].