US Space Force Successfully Launches Satellite Surveillance Monitoring Mission - ULA

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2022) The US Space Force (USSF) successfully launched two satellites in a "space situational awareness" monitoring mission 22,000 miles above the Earth on board an Atlas V rocket booster from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced on Friday.

"An Atlas V 511 rocket carrying the USSF-8 mission successfully lifted off at 2:00 pm Eastern Time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base, Florida," ULA said in a podcast message. The lift off was also podcast live.

The USSF-8 mission will launch two identical Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites - GSSAP-5 and GSSAP-6 - directly to a near-geosynchronous orbit approximately 22,300 miles (36,000 km) above the equator, ULA said.

"GSSAP satellites are a space-based capability operating in a near-geosynchronous orbit supporting the U.S. Space Command space surveillance operations as a dedicated Space Surveillance network (SSN) sensor," ULA said.

The satellites provide neighborhood watch services in the Geosynchronous Earth Orbit improving flight safety for all spacefaring nations operating in that orbit and increasing the ability to warn a spacecraft owner/operator if there is another object anticipated to approach too closely and create a hazardous situation, ULA added.