Subject with Atlas 5 booster liquid oxygen vent valve causes second scrub of ViaSat-3 F2 launch – Spaceflight Now

Update Nov. 6, 9:10 p.m. EST (0210 UTC): ULA scrubbed the launch and can goal a brand new, but to be introduced, launch date.

United Launch Alliance halted its Atlas 5 countdown for a second night time in a row, scrubbing the launch of the ViaSat-3 F2 satellite tv for pc. Liftoff from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was scheduled for 10:16 p.m. EST (0316 UTC), however the valve difficulty that prevented a launch Wednesday night time remained persistent on Thursday.

Launch Director James Whelan scrubbed a launch try Wednesday night time when a vent valve on the Atlas 5’s first stage liquid oxygen tank did not work correctly throughout closing pre-launch checkouts. Slightly greater than an hour earlier than the Thursday night time window opened, ULA stated it was foregoing the launch try.

“The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 carrying the ViaSat-3 F2 mission for Viasat is scrubbed for tonight’s launch attempt due to a reoccurrence of the issue with the Atlas 5 booster liquid oxygen tank vent valve,” the corporate wrote. “The team will evaluate the hardware, and we will release a new launch date when available.”

At ULA’s Advanced Spaceflight Operations Center (ASOC), 4 miles south of the launch pad, launch controllers began the countdown for Thursday’s try shortly earlier than 3 p.m. EST. The liquid oxygen tank on the Centaur higher stage reached flight ranges and liquid oxygen loading on the booster was underway when the scrub was known as shortly after 9 p.m. EST.

Skies at Cape Canaveral have been additionally overcast Thursday afternoon, with thick clouds and rain showers within the space. Launch Weather Officer Brian Belson from the forty fifth Weather Squadron on the Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 downgraded the outlook for launch, giving 50-50 odds of assembly the launch climate guidelines, with thick-layered clouds and rain being the first considerations.

Nestled contained in the rocket’s 5.4-meter diameter payload fairing is the 6-metric-ton ViaSat-3 F2 satellite tv for pc, manufactured by Boeing. When the mission is able to launch, the Atlas 5’s hydrogen-fueled Centaur higher stage will fireplace 3 times and use the nice majority of its propellant to ship the satellite tv for pc on its approach right into a geostationary switch orbit. This so-called Minimum Residual Shutdown will impart most velocity on the satellite tv for pc as soon as it’s deployed 3.5 hours into flight, probably extending its lifetime.

This is the second satellite tv for pc within the ViaSat-3 collection. It follows the launch of the primary spacecraft by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in 2023. That satellite tv for pc, ViaSat-3 F1, suffered a problem with its antenna, which each delayed the beginning of service and resulted in a diminished capability.

Viasat officers stated this new satellite tv for pc will present Ka-band community capabilities, including greater than 1 terabit per second (Tbps) of capability to the corporate’s community over the Americas.

Following months of on-orbit testing at its working location of 79 levels West longitude, the ViaSat-3 F2 spacecraft is anticipated to enter service in early 2026.