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DART Rendezvous with MUBLCOM
This is from sci.space.news. The launch date is subject to
change, but if the mission works it could give an interesting sight. MUBLCOM is 99-026. --Bill Thompson -------------- MISSION: Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. LAUNCH DATE: Oct. 26, 2004 NET LAUNCH WINDOW: 11:13:32 a.m. - 11:20:32 a.m. PDT Due to a failed pressure transducer on the DART upper stage, launch aboard a Pegasus XL has been rescheduled to no earlier than Oct. 26. The upper stage is necessary to deliver DART to its rendezvous point and to conduct proximity operations with the Multiple Paths, Beyond-Line-of-Site Communications (MUBLCOM) satellite. Three strain gauges have been installed on the upper stage to derive hydrazine fuel tank pressure. Verification testing is now under way to validate this alternate method of monitoring. A final flight simulation is now scheduled to be conducted on Oct. 7. Installation into the satellite of the Advanced Video Guidance Sensor hardware, the primary technology demonstration experiment, was completed Sept. 15 after arriving at Vandenberg Sept. 12. 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 nearly 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. The DART satellite provides a key step in establishing autonomous rendezvous capabilities for the U.S. Space Program. While previous rendezvous and docking efforts have been piloted by astronauts, the unmanned DART satellite will have computers and cameras to perform its rendezvous functions. Once in orbit, DART will make contact with a target satellite, the MUBLCOM, also built by Orbital Sciences and launched in 1999. DART will then perform several close-proximity operations, such as moving toward and away from the satellite using navigation data provided by on-board sensors. The entire mission will last only 24 hours and will be accomplished without human intervention. The DART flight computer will determine its own path to accomplish its mission objectives. |
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