USSF-51

USSF-51
Start of mission
USSF-51 Launch

Operator	USSF


Launch date	30 July 2024 10:45 UTC
Rocket	Atlas V 551 (AV-101)
Launch site	Cape Canaveral, SLC-41
Contractor	United Launch Alliance


Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Geosynchronous orbit

USSF Launch ← USSF-62 USSF-106 →

USSF-51 is an American National Security Space Launch Mission under the vision of United States Space Force. The launch is significant as it is the Last launch for United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket for National Security Mission. After reaching orbit Three Satellite are deployed named USA-396, USA-397 and USA-398. In October 2025, one more satellite is deployed named USA-566 and after that deployed more satellite USA-567, 568 and 569.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Overview

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USSF had assigned USSF-106 Mission to ULA in 2020. At the time it was planned to be the first National Security Mission on Vulcan Centaur but after reassignment to an Atlas V, USSF-106 become the first National Security Mission on Vulcan Centaur.^[9]

This mission is also last use of Russian RD-180 engine on US National Security Missions which is used on ULA's Atlas V rocket and is replaced with American made BE-4 engines, two of them is used on ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket starting with USSF-106 Mission in August 2025.^[10]

References

[edit]

↑ "USSF-51 (USA-396 to 398) | Atlas V 551 | Next Spaceflight". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
↑ Davenport, Justin (29 July 2024). "Atlas V successfully launched its last ever national security mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
↑ "ULA launches Atlas 5 rocket on the company's 100th national security mission – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 16 October 2025.
↑ Wall, Mike (29 July 2024). "Atlas V rocket launches its final national security mission for US military (video)". Space. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
↑ "Atlas V USSF-51". www.ulalaunch.com. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
↑ ULA. "United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches 100th National Security Mission". newsroom.ulalaunch.com. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
↑ "USA 396, 397, 398 (USSF 51)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
↑ "USSF-51 (USA-396 to 398) | Atlas V 551 | Next Spaceflight". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
↑ "FY20 NSS Missions". U.S. Air Force. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
↑ Ferster, Warren (17 September 2014). "ULA To Invest in Blue Origin Engine as RD-180 Replacement". SpaceNews. Retrieved 19 September 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

v t e ← 2023 Orbital launches in 2024 2025 →
January	XPoSat Starlink G7-9 (21 satellites) Ovzon-3 Starlink G6-35 (23 satellites) Peregrine Mission One (Iris, Colmena × 5) Einstein Probe Gravity-1 (Yunyao-1 18-20) IGS-Optical 8 Starlink G7-10 (22 satellites) Starlink G6-37 (23 satellites) Tianzhou 7 Axiom Mission 3 Soraya Taijing-1-03, Taijing-2-02, Taijing-2-04, Taijing-3-02, Taijing-4-03 Starlink G7-11 (22 satellites) Starlink G6-38 (23 satellites) Starlink G7-12 (22 satellites) Cygnus NG-20 Lemur-2 / Skylark × 4
February	Geely Constellation Group 02 (11 satellites) Xingshidai 18-20 PACE Kosmos 2575 / Razbeg №2 Starlink G7-13 (22 satellites) SDA Tracking Layer Tranche 0 (4 satellites) Progress MS-26 IM-1 / Nova-C Odysseus (EagleCam) Starlink G7-14 (22 satellites)] INSAT-3DS ADRAS-J Merah Putih 2 Starlink G7-15 (22 satellites) TJS-11 Starlink G6-39 (24 satellites) Meteor-M No.2-4 Starlink G6-40 (23 satellites)
March	SpaceX Crew-8 MethaneSAT, AEROS MH-1, BRO-12, BRO-13, Lemur-2 × 4 Starlink G6-41 (23 satellites) Starlink G6-43 (23 satellites) Starlink G7-17 (23 satellites) StriX-3 CSICE Quick Response Satellite† Starlink G6-44 (23 satellites) Starlink G7-16 (20 satellites), USA-350 / Starshield, USA-351 / Starshield Queqiao-2, Tiandu-1, Tiandu-2 Yunhai-2 02 (6 satellites) USA-352 / RASR-5 SpaceX CRS-30 Soyuz MS-25 Starlink G6-42 (23 satellites) Starlink G6-46 (23 satellites) Yunhai-3 02 Eutelsat 36D Starlink G6-45 (23 satellites) Resurs-P №4
April	Starlink G7-18 (22 satellites) Yaogan 42-01 Starlink G6-47 (23 satellites) Starlink G8-1 (21 satellites) KORSAT-1, Acadia-4, Hawk × 6, TSAT-1A USA-353 / Orion 12 Starlink G6-48 (23 satellites) Angara A5 (Orion) WSF-M 1 Starlink G6-49 (23 satellites) Siwei Gaojing 3-01 Starlink G6-51 (23 satellites) Starlink G6-52 (23 satellites) Yaogan 42-02 Starlink G6-53 (23 satellites) Shenzhou 18 Galileo FOC FM25, Galileo FOC FM26 Starlink G6-54 (23 satellites)
May	WorldView Legion 1, WorldView Legion 2 Starlink G6-55 (23 satellites) Chang'e 6, ICUBE-Q Starlink G6-57 (23 satellites) Starlink G6-56 (23 satellites) Starlink G8-2 (20 satellites) Shiyan 23 Starlink G6-58 (23 satellites) Starlink G8-7 (20 satellites) Kosmos 2576 / Nivelir-L N°4 Starlink G6-59 (23 satellites) Beijing-3C (4 satellites)] USA-354,...,USA-374 / Starshield × 21 Starlink G6-62 (23 satellites) Starlink G6-63 (23 satellites) Starlink G6-60 (23 satellites) EarthCARE Progress MS-27 Paksat-MM1R
June	Starlink G6-64 (23 satellites) Starlink G8-5 (20 satellites) Boe-CFT] Starlink G10-1 (22 satellites) Starlink G8-8 (20 satellites) Starlink G9-1 (20 satellites) ASTRA 1P / SES-24 SVOM Starlink G10-2 (22 satellites) Starlink G9-2 (20 satellites) GOES-U Starlink G10-3 (23 satellites) USA-375,...,USA-395 / Starshield × 21 ChinaSat 3A
July	ALOS-4 Starlink G8-9 (20 satellites) TechEdSat-11 Tianhui 5 Group 02 (2 satellites) Türksat 6A Nyx Bikini, ISTSat-1, YPSat-1 Starlink G9-3 (23 satellites)† Gaofen 11-05 Starlink G10-9 (23 satellites) Starlink G10-4 (23 satellites) Starlink G9-4 (21 satellites) USA-396, USA-397, USA-398
August	Weixing Hulianwang Gaogui-02 Starlink G10-6 (23 satellites) StriX-4 Starlink G11-1 (23 satellites) Cygnus NG-21 (Wisseed Sat) Qianfan Polar Group 01 (18 satellites) Starlink G8-3 (21 satellites) Acadia-3 ASBM-1, ASBM-2 Starlink G10-7 (23 satellites) Progress MS-28 WorldView Legion 3, WorldView Legion 4 EOS-08 Yaogan 43-01 (9 satellites) ION SCV-012, Acadia-5, EagleEye, Hawk × 3, ICEYE × 4, ÑuSat × 3, BRO-14, BRO-15, Flock-4be × 36, HYPSO-2, Lemur-2 × 7, Lemu Nge, Nightjar, Phi-Sat-2, PTD-4, PTD-R, TORO Starlink G10-5 (22 satellites) ChinaSat 4A Starlink G8-6 (21 satellites) Starlink G8-10 (21 satellites) Starlink G9-5 (21 satellites)
September	Yaogan 43-02 (6 satellites) Sentinel-2C Starlink G8-11 (21 satellites) Geely Constellation Group 03 (10 satellites) USA-400,...,USA-420 / Starshield × 21 Polaris Dawn Soyuz MS-26 BlueBird Block 1 (5 satellites) Starlink G9-6 (21 satellites) Qaem 100 (Chamran-1) Kosmos 2577 / OO MKA №1, Kosmos 2578 / OO MKA №2 Galileo FOC FM26, Galileo FOC FM32 BeiDou-3 M27, BeiDou-3 M28 Jilin-1 Kuanfu-02B (6 satellites) Starlink G9-17 (20 satellites) Tianyan-15 Jilin-1 SAR-01A Starlink G9-8 (20 satellites) IGS-Radar 8 Shijian 19 SpaceX Crew-9
October	Vulcan Cert-2 Hera, Juventas, Milani Weixing Hulianwang Gaogui-03 WHG-03 Europa Clipper Starlink G10-10 (23 satellites) Starlink G9-7 (20 satellites) Qianfan Polar Group 02 (18 satellites) Gaofen 12-05 Starlink G8-19 (20 satellites) OneWeb L20 (20 satellites)] Yaogan 43-03 (3 satellites) Starlink G6-61 (23 satellites) USA-421,...,USA-437 / Starshield × 17 Starlink G10-8 (22 satellites) Shenzhou 19 Starlink G9-9 (20 satellites) Starlink G10-13 (23 satellites) Kosmos 2579 / Bars-M 6L
November	DSN-3 Ionosfera-M №1, Ionosfera-M №2 SpaceX CRS-31 (LignoSat) Starlink G6-77 (23 satellites) PIESAT-2A 01, PIESAT-2B 01–03 Starlink G9-10 (20 satellites) Shiyan 26A, Shiyan 26B, Shiyan 26C, Jilin-1 Gaofen-05B-01, Jilin-1 Pingtai-02A-03, Tianyan-24 Koreasat 6A Starlink G6-69 (24 satellites) Haiyang-4A Starlink G9-11 (20 satellites) Starlink G6-68 (24 satellites) Tianzhou 8 Optus-X Starlink G9-12 (20 satellites) GSAT-20 Progress MS-29 Starlink G6-66 (24 satellites) Starlink G9-13 (20 satellites) Siwei Gaojing 2-03, Siwei Gaojing 2-04 Starlink G12-1 (23 satellites) Starlink G6-76 (24 satellites) Kondor-FKA №2 Starlink G6-65 (24 satellites) Starlink GN-01 (20 satellites), USA-438 / Starshield, USA-439 / Starshield Hulianwang Jishu Shiyan 5A
December	TJS-13 Starlink G6-70 (24 satellites) Kosmos 2580 / Lotos-S1 N°8 Starlink G9-14 (20 satellites) Qianfan Polar Group 03 (18 satellites) PROBA-3 Coronograph, PROBA-3 Occulter SXM-9 Sentinel-1C Saman-1 Starlink G12-5 (23 satellites) Starlink G11-2 (22 satellites) SatNet LEO Group 01 (10 satellites) PIESAT-2 09-12 USA-440 / GPS III-07 USA-441,...,USA-462 / Starshield × 22 O3b mPOWER 7 & 8 PARUS-T1A† Ceres-1S (Tianqi 33-36) TJS-12 KORSAT-2, Hawk 11A, Hawk 11B, Hawk 11C, ICEYE X47, ICEYE X49, CTC 0, LASARsat Starlink G12-2 (21 satellites) Resurs-P №5 Starlink G11-3 (22 satellites) Agila SpaDeX A, SpaDeX B Starlink G12-6 (21 satellites)
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).