3, 2, 1... Liftoff! ⁣ ⁣ At 4:49 a.m. ET (0949 UTC) from @vandenberg_sfb, the final @ULALaunch Atlas V rocket to launch from the West Coast lifted off carrying two very different missions to Earth orbit.⁣ ⁣ First to deploy was @NOAA’s Joint Polar System Satellite 2. JPSS-2 is the third to join the latest series of satellites. JPSS-2 will pass over every single spot in our planet at least twice a day as it collects valuable data that helps feed daily weather models, forecast extreme weather, and monitor climate change.⁣ ⁣ We took the ride up, to test tech on the ride down. Our Low-orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), successfully inflated and deployed a cross-cutting aeroshell —a type of heat shield —for atmospheric re-entry. For destinations with an atmosphere, delivering heavy payloads, such as experiments, equipment, and people, can be challenging because current rigid aeroshells are constrained by a rocket’s nosecone size. An inflatable aeroshell can be deployed to a scale much larger than the shroud, which can help enable a variety of proposed missions to destinations such as Mars, Venus, and Titan, as well as return to Earth.⁣ ⁣ This successful liftoff marks our Launch Services Program’s 100th mission. Based out of @NASAKennedy, the program has matched commercial launch providers with spacecraft needing a lift since 1998. Here’s to giving 100% one hundred times!⁣ ⁣ ⁣ Image descriptions: ⁣ ⁣ The Moon in high detail is on the top right of the image, as the Atlas V rocket soars below with flames from the engines trailing behind, surrounded by an expanse of night sky.⁣ ⁣ Smoke plumes around the Atlas V rocket, as it begins to launch. The rocket pad and surrounding buildings glow as they reflect the rocket’s bright flame.⁣ ⁣ A bird's-eye view of the rocket taking flight, plumes of smoke surround its base.⁣ ⁣ LOFTID sits on a ship after being recovered from the Pacific Ocean. It has a wide saucer-like shape. The outside is black, and the inside has inflatable orange rings with a large silver cylinder in the center. ⁣ ⁣ Credit: ULA⁣ ⁣ #NASA #NOAA #JPSS2 #LOFTID #Rocket #Launch #Satellites #Space #Science #AtlasV