An RD-180-powered United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas-V 551 rocket successfully launched the Lockheed Martin/Navy Mobile User Objective System (MUOS 4) satcom into geosynchronous transfer orbit early Wednesday.
The Atlas-V put on a spectacular show as it was fired eastward into early dawn lighting that illuminated a miles-wide RD-180 octopus-shaped plume as the vehicle left the atmosphere after solid rocket motor separation. Unusual atmospheric conditions created a dramatic sight in the sky as MUOS-