DMSP 5D-3/F19

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5-401 rocket (AV-044) will be used to launch the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 19 military weather satellite for the U.S. Air Force. The polar orbiting satellite will collect global data on cloud movements, atmospheric profiles and the other ingredients needed by meteorologists to generate strike quality weather forecasts across the globe for the warfighter. The rocket stands 189 feet tall, weighs 737,000 pounds at launch and produces 860,000 pounds of sea-level thrust. The spacecraft is encapsulated in a 14-foot, diameter, 39-foot-tall aluminum payload fairing.