A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket launched the MUOS-1 satellite on February 24, 2012. The satellite is the first of a quartet of bent pipe birds that will upgrade and replace an aging network of defense satellites.
The United Launch Alliance, a Lockheed-Boeing joint venture, plans to launch six more Atlas V and four four Boeing Delta IV rockets this year.
"The 200th flight of the Centaur is a very big milestone for the ULA team, as Centaur has been pioneering space launch for the last 50 years," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Mission Operations. . "It took 33 years for Centaur to accomplish those first 100 flights. The next 100 Centaur launches have been accomplished in just 17 years," reported SpaceRef.
The ULA Atlas-V is favored by most of the funded commercial crew program firms, including but not limited to, Boeing's CST-100, Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser and Blue Origin spacecraft. ULA is seeking to human-rate the Atlas-V booster for subsequent launch of commercial crew spacecraft.
America's first orbital astronaut, Senator John Glenn noted that "The program has come a long way since 50 years ago when I launched on an Atlas launch vehicle. I'm just glad the latest version is still doing such important work for our nation."
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