A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 421 rocket will launch the Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (SBIRS GEO) Flight 5 mission for the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Following liftoff, the Atlas V rocket will deliver the fifth SBIRS satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The mission also includes two multi-manifest satellite vehicles.

SBIRS GEO-5 consists of a network of GEO satellites and HEO payloads that provide persistent, infrared surveillance – as well as a sophisticated ground control system that manages that data – to support missile warning, missile defense, battlespace awareness and technical intelligence. Equipped with scanning and staring infrared sensors, the SBIRS spacecraft continue to serve as the tip of the spear for global missile warning as ballistic missile threats proliferate around the world.

SBIRS GEO-5, the fifth SBIRS spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin, but the first military space satellite built on the company’s modernized LM 2100 Combat BusTM – an enhanced space vehicle that provides even greater resiliency and cyber-hardening against growing threats, as well as improved spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics.

SMC’s Multi Manifest Office, in partnership with the United States Air Force Academy, will be flying the EZ-3 and -4 flight systems on the SBIRS GEO-5 mission. This multi-manifest mission will support the deployment of two 12U Multi-Manifest Satellite Vehicles, TDO-3 and -4, prior to the deployment of the SBIRS GEO-5 satellite. A multi-manifest mission set allows more capability to be placed on orbit, ultimately providing more critical capabilities to the warfighter.

The Atlas V 421 rocket, a unique configuration that includes two solid rocket boosters, provides the optimum performance to precisely deliver a range of mission types. In its nearly 15 years of service, this configuration has been used to launch national security, science and commercial missions.