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On October 2, 2015, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 421 lifted off from Cape Canaveral carrying Morelos-3, a communications satellite for Mexico. The flight was ULA’s 100th successful mission since the company formed in 2006—not the Atlas V’s 100th launch. It was the 57th Atlas V flight.
What launched on October 2, 2015?
ULA launched Morelos-3 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. ULA reported liftoff at 6:28 a.m. EDT; Mexico’s communications ministry gave the local time as 05:28 in Mexico City. ULA’s launch account and Mexico’s ministry account document the event and times.
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Morelos-3 belonged to Mexico’s Mexsat satellite system. ULA’s pre-launch description said it was intended to provide secure communications for national security and telecommunications services in rural areas, including voice, data, video, internet, education, and health services. ULA’s mission overview outlined those planned uses.
Why was it ULA’s 100th mission, but Atlas V’s 57th launch?
The two numbers count different things. ULA called the flight its 100th successful one-at-a-time mission since the company was formed in 2006. Atlas V, the specific rocket family carrying Morelos-3, had flown 57 times since its inaugural flight in 2002. ULA also identified this as the fifth flight of the Atlas V 421 configuration. These are ULA’s launch-day figures, not competing counts.
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ULA vice president Jim Sponnick marked the company milestone: “Today was an especially proud day for our team as we launched our 100th successful one-at-a-time mission since ULA was formed in 2006.” ULA attributed the statement to Sponnick.
How was the Atlas V 421 configured?
The 421 designation described a particular Atlas V arrangement: a 4-meter payload fairing, two solid rocket motors attached to the Atlas booster, and a Centaur upper stage. ULA said the booster used an RD AMROSS RD-180 engine and the Centaur used an Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-1 engine. ULA’s mission account lists the vehicle details.
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The mission had been moved earlier on the Atlas launch manifest through an agreement with the U.S. Air Force, using a slot that had previously been assigned to a Global Positioning System satellite, ULA said.
What was Morelos-3 designed to do?
Mexico’s communications ministry described Morelos-3 as a mobile satellite communications spacecraft operating in the L band, designed to connect people and land, sea, and air transport. The ministry reported a mass of 5.3 tonnes and an expected service life of 15 years. Those figures describe the satellite and expectation as reported in 2015; they do not establish how long it ultimately operated. The ministry’s launch-day account provides those specifications.
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What was planned after liftoff?
On launch day, Mexico’s ministry projected that Morelos-3 would separate from the rocket 2 hours and 51 minutes after liftoff at an altitude of 4,790 kilometers. It said the satellite would then take 13 days to reach its final orbital position, with arrival planned for October 15, and would enter service after system testing. These were the ministry’s schedule and projections at the time, not confirmation of later milestones or the satellite’s present operating status. The ministry’s account set out that plan.
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