ELV Status Report, 24-11-2004

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES STATUS REPORT

November 24, 2004



George H. Diller

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

(321) 867-2468





MISSION: Swift

LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II 7320

LAUNCH PAD: Pad 17-A Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

LAUNCH DATE: Nov. 20, 2004

LAUNCH TIME: 12:16 p.m. (EST)



NASA successfully launched the Swift spacecraft on Saturday, Nov. 20 at
12:16:00.611 p.m. EST. About 80 minutes after launch, the spacecraft was
successfully separated from the Delta II second stage and the solar arrays
were properly deployed.



Currently in space, the observatory systems are being activated and on-orbit
checkout is beginning.



The satellite will pinpoint the location of distant yet fleeting gamma-ray
bursts, explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes.



Swift is a medium-class Explorer mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The observatory was built for NASA by
Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. The Kennedy Space Center in
Florida was responsible for Swift's integration with the Boeing Delta II
rocket and the countdown management on launch day.





MISSION: Deep Impact

LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II 7925

LAUNCH PAD: Pad 17-B Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

LAUNCH DATE: NET Jan. 8, 2005

LAUNCH WINDOW: 2:39:50 p.m. (EST) instantaneous



A decision has been made to reschedule the launch of the Deep Impact
spacecraft to no earlier than Jan. 8 to allow more time for evaluation of
mission software. While there are no significant problems associated with
the spacecraft hardware, additional time is necessary to be ready for
launch. Spacecraft functional and mission readiness tests continue.

The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-B began on Nov.
22 with the hoisting of the first stage into the launcher. Hoisting of the
nine strap-on solid rocket boosters, in sets of three, began on Nov. 23 and
will continue on Nov. 29 and Dec. 1. The second stage will be hoisted into
position atop the first stage on Dec. 3.

The overall Deep Impact mission management for this Discovery class program
is conducted by the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. Deep Impact
project management is handled by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena,
Calif. The spacecraft was built for NASA by Ball Aerospace and Technologies
Corporation.





MISSION: DART (Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology)

LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL

LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

LAUNCH DATE: NET Mar. 2, 2005



The review of projected loads data, or the G-forces that the DART payload
will experience upon ignition of the Pegasus second stage, continue to be
reevaluated to assure mission success. However, the final launch date will
depend on availability of the Western Range, the P-3 tracking aircraft, and
the McMurdo Tracking Station in Antarctica.



The Pegasus rocket with DART has been returned to its hangar for the present
time. A new launch date will be determined once the loads analysis concern
has been resolved, the Western Range availability is determined, and support
of the four worldwide tracking stations necessary for the mission are
confirmed. The launch is currently targeted for no earlier than Mar. 2
based on work in progress and DART mission windows.



DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an
advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting
satellite. The DART spacecraft weighs about 800 pounds and is 6 feet long
and 3 feet in diameter. The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL vehicle will launch
DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles.





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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info