ULA Vulcan Rocket's 2nd Certification Flight - Explained With Launch Animation - video Dailymotion

Learn about the mission profile about United's Launch Alliance - the 2nd certification flight of the Vulcan rocket.   Credit: ULA

Transcript

00:00Following final confirmation of rocket readiness, twin BE-4 engines and two GEM-63XL solid

00:08rocket boosters produce more than 1.8 million pounds of thrust to lift ULA's Vulcan rocket

00:14away from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 41.

00:20Shortly after liftoff, the rocket begins a pitch over to attain the proper flight path

00:24while minimizing the dynamic pressure it experiences during flight.

00:29Vulcan then reaches Mach 1, the speed of sound.

00:33With the ability to add two, four or six solid rocket boosters, or SRBs, Vulcan can be precisely

00:41configured to take any mission to space, from low Earth orbit to Pluto and beyond.

00:47These boosters augment the rocket's total thrust at liftoff, adding approximately 460,000

00:53pounds of thrust per SRB.

00:56With their propellant expired approximately 90 seconds into ascent, the SRBs burn out,

01:02followed by jettison.

01:03Jettison time is variable, occurring between 100 and 150 seconds after liftoff, depending

01:09on mission requirements.

01:11Vulcan's guidance system then activates to steer towards the precise target in space.

01:16First stage flight continues as the rocket crosses the Kármán line, entering space.

01:21With the majority of propellant expended as Vulcan fights against the force of gravity,

01:26the BE-4 engines shut down, and the booster stage separates.

01:31With the rocket now weighing less than 10% of what it did at liftoff, dual RL-10C engines

01:36on ULA's Centaur upper stage ignite.

01:40Spacecraft are encapsulated inside a 5.4-meter diameter payload fairing, which provides a

01:45protective environment during ascent.

01:48Following Centaur engine ignition, the payload fairing is jettisoned.

01:52With the first burn complete, the Centaur engine shuts down for a coast phase.

01:58Further into flight, Centaur ignites for a second burn, powering the vehicle into a hyperbolic

02:03injection orbit.

02:05Following the second main engine cutoff, ULA's Centaur will continue into an orbit around

02:10the sun.