David's Astronomy Pages (All Sky Camera) Atlas V Rocket Burn,  2021-09-27

Aurora  2021-08-27

Aurora Page

Home Page

Aurora 2021-10-30

Data	Notes	Flight Profile
Pictures      Videos	- Rocket burn on Atlas V centaur upper stage. - Burn appeared to start at around 21:11:22 to 21:11:30 UT  - Rocket / exhaust was visible from 21:11 until 21:16 UT when the rocket passed below the NNW horizon.  - Rocket visible in 11 x 30s frames and formed a path starting at Az 17.2°, Alt 52.2° and ending at Az 347.9°, Alt 3.2°      - The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket which had blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 18:12 UT, and had carried the Landsat 9 satellite into orbit with separation occuring at c. 19:20, some 80 minutes after launch.  The rocket was initiating a deorbital burn some 178 minutes after launch as it passed across the UK.   The mission's flight profile indicates that the burn corresponded to the Centaur Fourth Main Engine Start (MES-4) that was planned to be a 25s burn starting at T+2:58:44.  With launch at 18:12 UT, the burn would be expected at 21:11. This corresponds nicely with the time it was recorded in my AllSky Camera pictures.   - The Atlas V was flying in its simplest configuration: the 401. That means the Landsat 9 satellite was tucked into a 13-foot-wide (4 meters) payload fairing, and the rocket relied on a single-engine Centaur upper stage, with no solid rocket boosters, to propel it to space.  Joining Landsat 9 for the ride were four tiny cubesats, which were deploy from the launcher after Landsat 9 has been deposited in space. The launch was the 145th flight of an Atlas V to date and the 88th flight of the rocket for NASA. Atlas V / LandSat 9 Mission Overview: https://www.ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/launch-booklets/mobrochure_landsat9_final1.pdf  - The Centaur second stage is 10 ft (3 m) in diameter and 41.5 ft (12.6 m) in length. Its propellant tanks are pressure-stabilized and constructed of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. Centaur is a cryogenic vehicle, fueled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, powered by an RL10C-1 engine producing 22,900 lbs (101.8 kilo-Newtons) of thrust.   - Landsat 9 satellite will replace the aging Landsat 7 and will eventually settle into an orbit that takes it over the planet's poles at an altitude of about 438 miles (705 km).       - Seeing a rocket in European skies is a relatively rare occurence, and it was fortunate that its passage corresponded with perfectly clear skies. - The rocket burn was seen across large area of eastern Scotland and eastern England with many people thinking it was a UFO.! BBC Report:  'Atlas V: Rocket launch creates strange lights in UK sky'   - Telescope Images from 2021-09-27 >>

Pictures

AllSky View - Composite Image, 11 x 30s 2021-09-27 21:11:22 to 21:16:32 UT  (22:11:22 to 22:16:32 LT) Image produced by taking maximum pixel values from 11 individual frames (using Sigma Beta 10) Each frame is a 30s exposure and there is a 1s gap between frames

Panoramic View - Northern Sky

View Looking North - Composite Image, 11 x 30s 2021-09-27 21:11:22 to 21:16:32 UT  (22:11:22 to 22:16:32 LT)

Montage of Frames -  12 x 30s 2021-09-27 21:10:51 to 21:16:32 UT  (22:10:51 to 22:16:32 LT) Each frame is a 30s exposure and there is a 1s gap between frames Rocket is moving in a NNW direction and image of rocket/exhaust is consequently trail in each frame

Panoramic View - Northern Sky

2021-09-27 21:11 UT Atlas V Rocket Burn.   Moon rising in NE

2021-09-27  21:11:53 UT Atlas V Rocket Burn heading NNW . Moon rising in NE

Back to Top

 Videos

Back to Top