ULA Set to Launch Final Atlas V National Security Mission

Cape Canaveral, FL – United Launch Alliance (ULA) is preparing for the launch of its Atlas V rocket's 58th and final national security mission, scheduled for Tuesday at 6:45 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 41. The launch will mark a significant milestone as ULA's 100th national security mission, with a three-hour window for liftoff. The event will be streamed live on ULA's website, allowing the public to witness this historic moment. The Atlas V rocket, standing at 196 feet tall, was recently rolled to the launch pad from the Integration Facility. This year, the rocket has only been launched once prior, during Boeing's Starliner Crewed Flight test in June, which sent a two-person crew to the International Space Station (ISS) for ongoing testing of the Starliner capsule. Following Tuesday's mission, ULA plans to conduct an additional 15 commercial and non-defense missions, including crewed launches. Col. Jim Horne, senior materiel leader of the Launch Execution Delta, expressed mixed emotions about the launch, reflecting on his experience with the first national security Atlas launch in 2007. He acknowledged the significance of this final mission, stating, "This is a bittersweet moment for us." After the USSF-51 launch, ULA will shift its focus to the Vulcan rocket, which is set to replace the Atlas V and the retired Delta IV. ULA, a collaboration between Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space & Security, was established in 2006.