SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT
October 16, 2002
George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468
MISSION: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-J (TDRS-J)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA (AC-144)
LAUNCH SITE: Pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE: November 20, 2002
LAUNCH WINDOW: 10:36 p.m. - 11:16 p.m. EST
The TDRS-J spacecraft has completed testing at the Boeing
Satellite Systems plant in El Segundo, Calif., and is scheduled to arrive at
Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility tomorrow, Oct. 17, aboard a
C-17 aircraft. The spacecraft ground support equipment arrived at KSC
yesterday, Oct. 15.
The Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA launch vehicle arrived at Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station from Denver, Colo., on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 8:20
a.m. aboard an Antonov 124 aircraft. The Atlas stage with its Rocketdyne
MA-5A two-chamber booster engine and sustainer engine was erected on Pad
36-A on Oct. 9. The Centaur stage with its pair of Pratt and Whitney RL-10
engines was hoisted atop the Atlas on Oct. 11. The initial power
application to the vehicle occurred this week on Monday, Oct. 14.
The next major milestone is the Simulated Flight test
(SimFlight), an electrical test of the vehicle systems during simulated
powered flight from launch through spacecraft separation. To follow will be
the vehicle's Wet Dress Rehearsal on Nov. 6, a countdown with the vehicle
fully fueled with liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP-1 propellants. The
TDRS-J satellite will be mated with the launch vehicle at the pad on Nov. 12
and followed on Nov. 13 with the Composite Electrical Readiness Test (CERT).
This will verify that the vehicle and spacecraft are operating on an
integrated basis.
This is the 24th and final Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA model launch
vehicle (no solid rocket boosters) and has a 100% success rate.
MISSION: Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
LAUNCH LOCATION: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE: December 1, 2002
LAUNCH WINDOW: 3:09 p.m. - 4:09 p.m. EST T-0: 3:14 P.M. EST.
SORCE is at the Orbital Space Systems Group spacecraft facility in
Dulles, Va., and has satisfactorily completed space environment tests. The
spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Space Center to begin final
processing on Oct. 26.
The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle continues to
undergo buildup and testing at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The mating of the
three stages was completed yesterday, Oct. 15. Two Flight Simulation tests
are scheduled while the vehicle is in California. Flight Simulation No. 1
was successfully completed on Oct. 11 and Flight Simulation No. 2 is under
way today, Oct. 16.
The Pegasus is scheduled for ferry to Cape Canaveral using the
Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft on Oct. 29. Three Flight Simulation tests
are also planned at KSC prior to launch and are scheduled to occur on Nov.
1, Nov. 8 and Nov. 18.
MISSION: Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESAT) and the Cosmic
Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPSAT)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II w/Dual Payload Attach Fixture (DPAF)
LAUNCH SITE: SLC-2W Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB)
LAUNCH DATE: December 19, 2002 (tentative)
LAUNCH WINDOW: 4:09:32 - 5:32:00 p.m. PST
The ICESAT spacecraft is at the Ball Aerospace Facility in
Boulder, Colo. All testing has been successfully completed, and the
spacecraft is being prepared for shipment to Vandenberg Air Force Base on
Oct. 23.
The CHIPSAT spacecraft arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base
yesterday, Oct. 15, and was taken to the Astrotech Space Operations Payload
Processing Facility. The satellite is being powered on today.
The Delta II first and second stages have arrived at Vandenberg
after successfully completing checkout at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The booster is scheduled for erection next week beginning Oct. 22 at Space
Launch Complex 2 located on North Vandenberg Air Force Base.
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