Atlas V launches STP-3

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 551 launch vehicle launched the Space Test Program-3 (STP-3) mission for the U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC), from Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on 7 December 2021, at 10:19 UTC (05:19 EST). The primary spacecraft is STP Satellite (STPSat)-6 and the rideshare spacecraft is the Long Duration Propulsive Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) (LDPE) – 1. STPSat-6 carries nine payloads including the Space and Atmospheric Burst Reporting System 3 (SABRS-3), NASA’s Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD) payload and several Department of Defense Space Experiments Review Board space weather and situational awareness payloads. Credit: United Launch Alliance/NASA Atlas V launches STP-3 (Space Test Program-3)