Experience the thrill of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket launch as it lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A collaborative mission between NASA and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) will launch the GOES-R (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series) weather satellite aboard an Atlas V rocket. Developed by NOAA, the GOES-R series are placed in geosynchronous orbit around the Earth and will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety and protection of property. The GOES-R series is a four-satellite program (GOES-R/S/T/U) that will extend the availability of the operational GOES satellite system through 2036.

LAUNCH WINDOW:  4:42 P.M. – 6:42 P.M.

Best viewing sites for the general public include: anywhere along the shores of the Indian River in Titusville, or any of the beaches south of Port Canaveral along the Space Coast.  In addition, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers the closest public viewing of launches.

**Launch date, time, and viewing opportunities are subject to change. Launches can be affected by technical and mechanical issues as well as range operations and weather, either in advance or at the last minute.

The launch window is the time period during which the rocket must be launched in order to reach its intended target. If the rocket is not launched during this time period, the launch will be rescheduled for the next available window.

LAUNCH VEHICLE:

The Atlas V rocket was introduced by United Launch Alliance (ULA) in August 2002. The Atlas V was developed to provide launch services to the U.S. government and is a part of the Atlas program which in total has logged more than 600 launches to date. Since their debut, Atlas V vehicles have achieved 100 percent mission success in launches from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Space Launch Complex-3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The rocket uses a standard common core booster™ (CCB), up to five strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRB), an upper-stage Centaur in either the Single-Engine Centaur (SEC) or the Dual-Engine Centaur (DEC) configuration, and one of several payload fairings (PLF).