Upcoming launch year at Cape Canaveral AFS to be a blast (Forwarded)

Public Affairs
45th Space Wing
Patrick AFB, Florida

1/10/2008

Upcoming launch year to be a blast
By Ken Warren, 45th SW Public Affairs

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION. Fla. -- With scheduled missions to the sun
and the moon and the inaugural launches of Falcon 9 vehicles from Cape
Canaveral AFS, 2008 looks to be an exciting year of Eastern Range
operations.

Although a fluid document that's always subject to change, the Eastern Range
manifest is currently loaded with about 20 missions -- an exciting mix of
national security, scientific and commercial launches, that should light up
the skies of the Space Coast and inspire space enthusiasts around the world.

Among the most intriguing of these launches are the first launches of the
Falcon 9 rocket by a company called "SpaceX," from refurbished facilities at
Space Launch Complex 40.

The first launch is expected in the June time frame with a demonstration
flight, that if successful, could be followed by at least two more Falcon 9
flights during the year. One of those flights would be a test flight for
NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services system that will
coordinate delivery of crew and cargo to the International Space Station at
the conclusion of the space shuttle program.

This year should also see the final three launches of a global positioning
system satellite on the venerable Delta II rocket. The launches are
currently set for March, June and September. After that, GPS satellites will
be launched aboard Atlas V boosters. Other national security launches on the
manifest include the second launch of a WGS satellite on an Atlas V, the
first launch of another advanced military communications spacecraft called
the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite or AEHF, also on an Atlas V
and the launch of a National Reconnaissance Office payload.

In terms of NASA scientific missions, up to five space shuttle missions are
on the docket. Four of those flights will be to the International Space
Station. The fifth will be a mission to service the Hubble Telescope. In
addition, NASA is set to launch a mission called GLAST to deploy the
Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope.

With GLAST, astronomers will have a superior tool to study black holes and
cosmologists will gain valuable data about the birth and early evolution of
the universe. Finally, NASA plans to launch ambitious missions from Cape
Canaveral AFS on Atlas V rockets to study the sun (Solar Dynamics
Observatory) and to pave the way to for man's return to the moon (Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite).
A weather satellite called GOES-O is also on tap to be launched on a Delta
IV for NASA and NOAA in the July time frame.

The only purely commercial mission on the Eastern Range schedule is the
launch of a mobile communications satellite for ICO of North America. This
launch is currently set to fly on an Atlas V in late March.

"2008 will present the Air Force's Eastern Range with golden opportunities
to show its flexibility and agility to the world," said Brig. Gen. Susan
Helms, commander of the 45th Space Wing, which oversees the Eastern Range.
"No other space complex in the world supports a wider variety of missions as
efficiently, effectively and safely as the Eastern Range. We're looking
forward to another great year."

IMAGE CAPTION:
[http://www.patrick.af.mil/shared/med...-9999Z-001.JPG
(3.9MB)]
Tech. Sgt. Ed Winslow (left) and Staff Sgt. Robert Chrum (right),
Maintenance Engineering Personnel from the 45th Launch Support Squadron
process GPS satellite IIR-19 recently in the processing facility at Cape
Canaveral AFS. Its set to be launched in March on a Delta II booster. (USAF
photo).