ULA (United Launch Alliance) launched its 90th flight with an Atlas V rocket and its fifth and final mission of 2021. Launching from SLC-41 (Space Launch Complex 41) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the STP-3 mission is lofting two experimental satellites for the United States Space Force.
The mission will also test several new technologies onboard the company’s Atlas V launch vehicle during the longest duration mission for an Atlas rocket to date. After a 24 hour delay due to a leak in the RP-1 ground storage system and then an additional day to verify the fuel’s sample integrity, liftoff occurred at December 7 at 5:19 AM EST (10:19 UTC) after several holds for unacceptable high altitude winds.