Jacques van Oene
December 3rd 05, 10:48 AM
11.29.05
Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-3749)
George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)
STATUS REPORT: ELV-112905
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT
MISSION: Cloud-Aerosol Lidar & Infrared Pathfinder Satellite
Observation/CloudSat (CALIPSO/CloudSat)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Boeing Delta 7420 with Dual Payload Attach Fitting
(DPAF)
LAUNCH PAD: Space Launch Complex 2
LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California
LAUNCH DATE: No earlier than February 2006
LAUNCH WINDOW: TBD
Due to a lack of resolution of the Boeing labor strike and other
issues, the CALIPSO/CloudSat launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base will
not occur during December as hoped. The earliest possible launch
timeframe is mid-February 2006. The two spacecrafts are being
prepared for an extended period in the Astrotech payload processing
facilities located on North Vandenberg.
The Western Range will begin a long-planned two-month period of
maintenance, upgrades and refurbishment to the Range Safety tracking
facilities, computers and launch support equipment beginning Dec. 19.
The Navy down range tracking assets deployed from Point Mugu Naval
Air Station in California will also be affected and are required for
support of consecutive multiple launch attempts of CALIPSO-CloudSat.
While progress has been made on the problems encountered during
testing of the Flight Termination System batteries, Boeing has not
yet been able to formally determine and document a root cause of the
problem for engineering review. Approximately 15 days will be
necessary to prepare for launch once all of the above issues are
fully resolved.
MISSION: New Horizons
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Lockheed Martin Atlas V 551 (AV-010)
LAUNCH PAD: Complex 41
LAUNCH SITE: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
LAUNCH DATE: Jan. 11, 2006
LAUNCH WINDOW: 2:08 to 4:07 p.m. EST
The Applied Physics Lab team continues to perform additional testing
of the autonomy software system to confirm that it would take
appropriate safing actions if an onboard fault or unplanned
conditions occurred after New Horizons is far away from the Earth.
The scope of this testing has expanded, requiring additional days for
ground processing to ensure a successful mission. As a result,
encapsulation is six days behind schedule, but the Jan. 11 launch
date has not been disturbed. Encapsulation of New Horizons into the
vehicle fairing is scheduled for Dec. 12, followed by transportation
to Launch Complex 41 for mating to the Atlas V on Dec. 16.
The fifth and final solid rocket booster has arrived at Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station and was mated to the Atlas V at the Vehicle
Integration Facility today.
Boeing's delivery of the third stage to the Payload Hazardous
Servicing Facility is on schedule for Dec. 1. Mating with the New
Horizons spacecraft is scheduled for Dec. 9. Hydrazine fuel for
attitude control and course-correction maneuvers is scheduled to be
loaded aboard the spacecraft on Dec. 4, followed by a "wet" spin
balance test with fuel aboard on Dec. 6-7. A tanking test of the
Atlas V launch vehicle is scheduled for Dec. 5.
For previous status reports, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/status/2005
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
-end-
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-3749)
George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)
STATUS REPORT: ELV-112905
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT
MISSION: Cloud-Aerosol Lidar & Infrared Pathfinder Satellite
Observation/CloudSat (CALIPSO/CloudSat)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Boeing Delta 7420 with Dual Payload Attach Fitting
(DPAF)
LAUNCH PAD: Space Launch Complex 2
LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California
LAUNCH DATE: No earlier than February 2006
LAUNCH WINDOW: TBD
Due to a lack of resolution of the Boeing labor strike and other
issues, the CALIPSO/CloudSat launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base will
not occur during December as hoped. The earliest possible launch
timeframe is mid-February 2006. The two spacecrafts are being
prepared for an extended period in the Astrotech payload processing
facilities located on North Vandenberg.
The Western Range will begin a long-planned two-month period of
maintenance, upgrades and refurbishment to the Range Safety tracking
facilities, computers and launch support equipment beginning Dec. 19.
The Navy down range tracking assets deployed from Point Mugu Naval
Air Station in California will also be affected and are required for
support of consecutive multiple launch attempts of CALIPSO-CloudSat.
While progress has been made on the problems encountered during
testing of the Flight Termination System batteries, Boeing has not
yet been able to formally determine and document a root cause of the
problem for engineering review. Approximately 15 days will be
necessary to prepare for launch once all of the above issues are
fully resolved.
MISSION: New Horizons
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Lockheed Martin Atlas V 551 (AV-010)
LAUNCH PAD: Complex 41
LAUNCH SITE: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
LAUNCH DATE: Jan. 11, 2006
LAUNCH WINDOW: 2:08 to 4:07 p.m. EST
The Applied Physics Lab team continues to perform additional testing
of the autonomy software system to confirm that it would take
appropriate safing actions if an onboard fault or unplanned
conditions occurred after New Horizons is far away from the Earth.
The scope of this testing has expanded, requiring additional days for
ground processing to ensure a successful mission. As a result,
encapsulation is six days behind schedule, but the Jan. 11 launch
date has not been disturbed. Encapsulation of New Horizons into the
vehicle fairing is scheduled for Dec. 12, followed by transportation
to Launch Complex 41 for mating to the Atlas V on Dec. 16.
The fifth and final solid rocket booster has arrived at Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station and was mated to the Atlas V at the Vehicle
Integration Facility today.
Boeing's delivery of the third stage to the Payload Hazardous
Servicing Facility is on schedule for Dec. 1. Mating with the New
Horizons spacecraft is scheduled for Dec. 9. Hydrazine fuel for
attitude control and course-correction maneuvers is scheduled to be
loaded aboard the spacecraft on Dec. 4, followed by a "wet" spin
balance test with fuel aboard on Dec. 6-7. A tanking test of the
Atlas V launch vehicle is scheduled for Dec. 5.
For previous status reports, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/status/2005
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
-end-
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info