SBIRS Geo-5 missile warning satellite of US Space Force launched onboard Atlas V Rocket

SBIRS Geo-5 missile warning satellite of US Space Force launched onboard Atlas V Rocket

• American spacecraft launch service provider, United Launch Alliance, launched its Atlas V rocket into space, on May 18, 2021, carrying a missile-warning satellite, SBIRS Geo-5, for the U.S. Space Force. 
• The two-stage rocket was launched from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. 
• The Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit Flight 5 (SBIRS Geo-5), is fifth in the series of a constellation of the US Space Force, that will eventually contain six satellites.
• The USD 1 billion satellite is built by Lockheed Martin and weighs about 10,700 lbs. (4,850 kilograms).
• It is fitted with sophisticated infrared scanning and staring sensors that will allow the military to track missiles that might threaten U.S. and its allied forces.