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Words and photos by Jon Reino
At 5:19 am EST (1019 UTC) on December 7th, 2021, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 551 carried the 'STP-3' mission to geosynchronous orbit. Originally planned to launch on December 5th, a leak in a propellant tank on the pad resulted in a two day slip while ULA addressed the issue. High altitude winds then delayed liftoff until the latter half of the launch window. After a journey of just over seven hours the first of two satellites was successfully deployed, with the second following about an hour later. To read our mission profile, click here.
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