The United Launch Alliance was given the all clear for blast off as it successfully launched an Atlas V rocket Tuesday afternoon carrying a U.S. Space Force defense system off the Florida coast.
After scrubbing Monday’s launch due to weather complications, the ULA rocket blasted off at 1:31 p.m. from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Space Launch Complex-41.
Monday’s launch was canceled due to unfavorable conditions. FOX 35 meteorologist, Jayme King, described the situation not having met the “cumulus cloud rule,” which suggests that an ascending rocket must remain a certain distance from clouds.
The rocket’s payload is a satellite for the U.S. Space Force, specifically the fifth Space-Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite for the U.S. Space Force and Space and Missile Systems Center.
The satellite is meant for strategic defense and is equipped with scanning and staring infrared sensors to spot and track missile launches.
The Atlas V’s upper stage, Centaur, successfully deployed the Space Force payload about 40 minutes after the launch. Tuesday’s mission marks the 258th flight of the Centaur, which has been used in numerous other payload and surveyor missions, according to the ULA.
