UPDATE: Final Atlas V launch from Vandenberg SFB a success

UPDATE:

And lift-off! The Atlas V rocket launched after a slight delay at 1:49 a.m. Thursday morning.

The rocket's mission can now start the delivery of two satellites into the Earth's orbit.

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The final west coast launch of an Atlas V rocket is set for this week.

The launch is currently set to liftoff at 1:25 a.m. Thursday from SLC-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

ULA in partnership with NASA will launch a Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) weather satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

ULA says the system “improves the accuracy and timeliness of numerical weather prediction models to enhance weather forecasting.” The rocket will join the fleet of Joint Polar Satellite System Satellites. Each satellite in this fleet orbits the earth from the North to the South Pole 14 times, passing every spot on the planet at least twice per day.

The satellites will take measurements and images on their orbits to monitor oceans, continents, and the atmosphere. They can also monitor pollution including dust, smoke, and smog.

The addition of more data from these satellites will help meteorologists to understand extreme weather more fully while also contributing data to climate change models and forecast products that most weather forecasts are based on.

Following the launch, United Launch Alliance will be transitioning the launch pad for its new Vulcan Centaur rocket.

It’s considered a more affordable, accessible and commercialized “next-generation” rocket.

Atlas V rockets will still be launched from Cape Canaveral over the next few years.