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United Launch AllianceAtlas V 501Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) (AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer
Launched
May 20, 2015
Summary
OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) ( AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer launched on an United Launch Alliance Atlas V 501 from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on May 20, 2015. It was United Launch Alliance's 97th launch, 5th this year and humanity's 5,469th orbital launch attempt. It was the 6th Atlas V 501 flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). The spacecraft was X-37B 2 (2). 12 objects from this launch are catalogued, all of them payloads.
- Watch
- Vehicle
- Atlas V 501 · United Launch Alliance
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Government/Top Secret · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 6th Atlas V 501 flight · 1st this yearUnited Launch Alliance's 97th launch5th this yearhumanity's 5,469th orbital launch attempt27th orbital launch attempt this year
Spacecraft
X-37B 2 (2)
Second X-37B. First flight on March 5, 2011.
- Destination: Low Earth Orbit
- Mission length: 717 days
The X-37B spaceplane successfully landed after this flight.
Flight preview
Catalogued objects
12 catalogued: 12 payloads; none still in orbit
- X-37B OTV-4 · NORAD 40651 · landed May 7, 2017
- USS Langley · NORAD 40652 · re-entered
- Opticube 01 · NORAD 40653 · re-entered
- ParkinsonSat · NORAD 40654 · re-entered December 23, 2021
- BRICSat-P · NORAD 40655 · re-entered
- Opticube 02 · NORAD 40656 · re-entered
- GEARRS-2 · NORAD 40657 · re-entered
- Opticube 03 · NORAD 40658 · re-entered
- Aerocube 8A · NORAD 40659 · re-entered October 11, 2021
- Aerocube 8B · NORAD 40660 · re-entered October 2, 2021
- LightSail-1 · NORAD 40661 · re-entered June 14, 2015
- ULTRASat · NORAD 40662 · re-entered May 20, 2015
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
It is the second flight of the second Boeing X-37B vehicle and the fourth flight of the program. United States Air Force Orbital Test Vehicle is an unmanned 5000 kg, 8.8 m-long reusable mini-spaceplane capable of autonomous re-entry and landing. The OTV-4 mission was to test Aerojet Rocketdyne's XR-5A Hall-effect thruster and conduct a NASA investigation for testing various materials in space. The mission concluded after 717 days in orbit, marking the first time X-37B landed on the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
71st launch from Space Launch Complex 41, 3rd this year · 728th from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
125 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
68 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) ( AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer launch?
OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) ( AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer launched on May 20, 2015. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) ( AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer?
Coverage: Atlas V - AFSPC-5 (X-37B OTV-4 + CubeSats) Launch - May 20, 2015. Watch the replay
What rocket launched OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) ( AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer?
Atlas V 501, flown by United Launch Alliance. Atlas V 501 spec sheet
Where did OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) ( AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer launch from?
Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit was OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) ( AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer going to?
Low Earth Orbit (LEO), a government/top secret mission.
How many satellites did OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) ( AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer launch?
12 payloads from this launch are catalogued, none of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).