The SOHO Launch

[UPDATED]SOHO was launched at 03:08 EST (08:08 UT) Saturday, December 2, 1995. See What's new

[UPDATED] [Nov 28] Here you can have a look at the sequence of launch operations.
There is more informarmation about the laucher in the NASA KSC ELV pages.

Click here for a JPEG image of an earlier launch of an Atlas IIAS.

In the artwork section there are more pictures and animations about the launcher and the spacecraft.

SOHO/ATLAS-IIAS KEY PARAMETERS

The launch vehicle for this mission is a two stage Atlas-IIAS (Atlas/Centaur). At liftoff, the vehicle is approximately 47.4m long, 4m in diameter and weights 236268 kg. The Atlas, consists of a solid rocket booster stage powered by four Thiokol Castor IVA solid rocket boosters (SRB) and a core vehicle stage (booster and sustainer) powered by Rocketdyne MA-5A liquid propellant engines (RP-1 fuel and liquid oxygen). The multiple firing Centaur is powered by two Pratt and Whitney (RL10A-4) liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen engines with extendible nozzles. Vehicle guidance and range safety is mounted on the Centaur stage.

The Centaur rocket body is 3.04 m in diameter, 9 m long and weight 1814 kg empty.

Two object will achieve orbit: the SOHO payload and the Centaur rocket body.

SOHO is 3.65 m in height and 3.65 m in width and weights 610 kg at separation from the Centaur rocket body. SOHO will be place into a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 libration point, approximately 1.5 million km sunward from the Earth.


DIMENSIONS

  launch vehicle height .................. 47.40 m
  launch vehicle diameter ................. 4.00 m
  launch vehicle weight ............. 236,268 kg
  payload adapter ......................... 1.19 m
  payload fairing section ................. 4.27 m
  SOHO height and width ................... 3.65 m
  SOHO weight ......................... .1861 kg

PROPULSION

  first stage ....... Atlas sustainer and 2 boosters and 4 Thiokol
				Castor IVA solid rocket boosters (SRB)
  second stage ...... Centaur (2 LO2/LH2 engines)

  SOHO .............. On board hydrazine thrusters
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