CENTENNIAL, Colo — An Atlas V rocket made by Centennial-based United Launch Alliance blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Feb. 9, carrying a science probe destined to study the polar regions of the sun.
The 182-foot-tall launch vehicle launched the Solar Orbiter probe successfully, notching the rocket company’s first launch of 2020 and its 137th consecutive successful mission.
The Solar Orbiter is a joint research project of NASA and the European Space Agency designed to orbit the sun and work with NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, launched by ULA in 2018, to reveal never-before-seen parts of the star and broaden human understanding of its solar system.
“The ULA team is extremely honored to launch Solar Orbiter, enabling more discovery of our sun,” said Gary Wentz, ULA’s vice president of government and commercial programs.
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