ULA Atlas V rocket to launch secret U.S. Space Force mission in early Tuesday flight
It's a good morning for a launch!
At approximately 6:45 a.m. EDT Tuesday, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V will rocket off Launch Complex 41, which is just south of Kennedy Space Center. The mission will be flying in an eastern trajectory − traveling up and then straight east.
The Space Force 45th Weather Squadron predicts 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for launch.
Flying its final national security mission − titled USSF-51 − the Atlas V rocket is carrying a top secret payload for the United States Space Force.
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This brings ULA's overall number of national security missions to 100 − spreading across their past and present family of rockets.
While the Atlas V's remaining flights are limited in number − mostly reserved for Boeing Starliner missions for NASA − ULA's Vulcan rocket is slated to replace both the Atlas V and the now-retired Delta IV.
Check back for live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team launch coverage updates on this page, starting about 90 minutes before the launch window opens.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Early Tuesday: Atlas V blastoff from Cape Canaveral carrying secret cargo
