An Atlas 5 rocket was launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Thursday equipped with a top-secret Air Force satellite.
The 20-story rocket flew off launch complex 41 at 9:09 a.m. EDT, according to CBS News. The rocket appeared to perform well in its first stage with its Russian-built RD-180 engine fueled by liquid oxygen and refined kerosene. Its push toward space was bolstered by its second-stage hydrogen-fueled RL10 engine.
Before the rocket launched its scheduled orbit, ULA ended the launch coverage and commentary five minutes after liftoff, which follows standard practice for classified NRO missions.
Atlas 5 was introduced in 2002. Thursday's launch was the 46th in the history of this type of rocket, Sen- Space Exploration Network reported.
The rocket set a near-perfect record in June of 2007, with its upper-stage Centaur engine shutting down four seconds early and leaving a pair of satellites in orbits a little lower than intended.
Two issues surround the rocket, one of which involves the U.S. Air Force's exclusive contract with ULA. The Air Force looks to buy launch services on Atlas 5 and Delta 4, its sister rocket. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is fighting for the business, filing a lawsuit last month to overturn the purchase, Sen- Space Exploration Network reported.
Elon Musk, CEO and founder of SpaceX, expressed his disagreement with the exclusive contract, saying it will hurt U.S. taxpayers. Musk added that he plans to offer similar services for close to $100 million for each mission. He said the price is almost one-quarter of what the ULA charges.
Michael Gass, president and CEO of ULA, said at an aerospace conference earlier this week that the company has 16 RD-180 engines, which is enough to cover Atlas operations for two years, CBS News reported.
The possibility of an interrupted supply chain has caused ULA engineers to speed up construction of planned Delta 4 rockets and look at options for shifting important payloads from Atlas to Delta.
Atlas 5's reliance on engines built in Russia is another major issue, Sen- Space Exploration Network reported. Russian officials announced last week that they would not sell their rocket engines to the U.S. for military launches in response to receiving an export ban for its takeover of the Crimea peninsula in Ukraine.
ULA and the Air Force are considering other ways to build the engines in the U.S.
Gass responded to Musk's statement by saying the block buy was negotiated for several years, and that SpaceX knew about the plan during its development, CBS News reported.
"SpaceX is trying to change the rules for them, even though it may not be in the best interest of the taxpayer and most importantly, not in the best interest of the critical war fighting capabilities we're delivering to our customers," he said. "We're focused on supporting the mission. It's time for the other company prove its technology and match its rhetoric with on-schedule performance."
