The Moon makes a stunning backdrop for the launch of the third in a series of polar-orbiting weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and our Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) on Nov. 10 at 1:49 a.m. PST from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket exceeded the speed of sound around a minute into flight, and soon thereafter reached Max-Q – the moment of maximum dynamic pressure on the rocket. Next up is booster engine cutoff, followed by separation of the first and second stages of the rocket.
