A Go-To Rocket
Today’s liftoff fire and thunder will be produced by an Atlas V rocket powered by an RD-180 engine at the bottom of the Atlas V first stage. The engine, which uses two thrust chambers and nozzles, burns rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen to generate 860,200 pounds of thrust. A Centaur upper stage will take over four minutes, 18 seconds into flight after the first stage tanks are emptied.
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster made a name for itself quickly and will be called on again today to launch a NASA research mission. Atlas Vs launched the Curiosity rover that is operating on Martian soil now, along with the Juno spacecraft heading to Jupiter and the most recent Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) for NASA, which is pictured.
