SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT
January 29, 2003
George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468
MISSION: Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
LAUNCH LOCATION: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE: January 25, 2003
LAUNCH TIME: 3:14 p.m. EST
The Orbital Sciences carrier aircraft departed Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station for the launch of Pegasus/SORCE on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2:17
p.m. The drop of the Pegasus occurred on time at 3:14 p.m. at an altitude
of 39,000 feet, 120 nautical miles East-northeast of Cape Canaveral.
The satellite separated from the Pegasus rocket 10 minutes 46
seconds after launch at 3:24 p.m. Seven seconds later the satellite was
acquired by the TDRS-East Tracking and Data Relay Satellite which confirmed
that SORCE was receiving power from its solar arrays.
The satellite is in a 400-mile-high orbit at an inclination of 40
degrees. The spacecraft's science instruments have been turned on and their
state of health is being verified. In approximately three weeks, science
observations will begin. For the next five years, the spacecraft will
measure from space how the Sun affects the Earth's ozone layer, the
circulation of the atmosphere, clouds and oceans.
The SORCE project is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center. The satellite was constructed by the Orbital Sciences Space Systems
Group with science instruments designed and built by the University of
Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP).
MISSION: Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
LAUNCH PAD: Skid Strip, Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE: April 4, 2003 (T)
LAUNCH WINDOW: 6:50 a.m. - 8:50 a.m. EST
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Orbital Sciences
Pegasus launch vehicle is undergoing testing. It has successfully completed
the launch vehicle verification test, testing of its flight controls, and a
flight simulation.
The launch vehicle is currently planned for ferry to Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station on the L-1011 aircraft on Feb. 18.
The spacecraft, built for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory by the
Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group is also undergoing testing and is
currently scheduled to arrive at KSC on Feb. 2.
The GALEX mission is led by the California Institute of
Technology.
MISSION: Propulsive Small Expendable Deployer System (ProSEDS)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II
LAUNCH PAD: Space Launch Complex 17, Pad A
LAUNCH DATE: NET March 29, 2003
LAUNCH WINDOW: TBD
The Propulsive Small Expendable Deployer System - called ProSEDS -
is a tether-based propulsion experiment that draws power from the space
environment around Earth, allowing the transfer of energy from the Earth to
the spacecraft.
Inexpensive and reusable, ProSeds technology has the potential to
turn orbiting, in-space tethers into "space tugboats - replacing heavy,
costly, traditional chemical propulsion and enabling a variety of
space-based missions, such as the fuel-free raising and lowering of
satellite orbits.
The erection of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A is
currently scheduled to begin on Feb. 13. Erection of the nine solid rocket
boosters is scheduled for Feb. 14-18. The second stage is planned for
hoisting atop the first stage on Feb. 19.
ProSEDS is flying as a secondary payload beneath a U.S. Air Force
Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite. Once the spacecraft arrives, it
will be processed at the Vertical Processing Facility (VPF) located in the
KSC Industrial Area. ProSeds will be attached to the Delta second stage at
the launch pad on March 17 and followed by electrical connections and a
spacecraft functional test.
MISSION: Mars Exploration Rovers (MER-1/MER-2)
LAUNCH VEHICLES: Delta II/Delta II Heavy
LAUNCH PADS: 17-A/17-B
LAUNCH DATES: May 30/June 25
LAUNCH TIMES: 2:28 p.m./12:34 a.m.
The cruise stage, aeroshell and lander for the MER-2 mission
arrived at the KSC Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at 4 p.m. on
Monday, Jan. 27. The lander was unpacked, cleaned and placed in the high
bay on Tuesday. The aeroshell and cruise stage were removed from the
shipping container today. The first of the two Mars Exploration rovers will
arrive at KSC in February.
# # #
-------------------------------------------------------------
For automatic email subscriptions to this KSC originated press releases, send an Internet electronic mail message to mailto:ksc-news_release-subscribe@kscnews.ksc.nasa.gov. With no subject or message. The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription.
To remove your name from the list at any time, send an email addressed to mailto:ksc-news_release-unsubscribe@kscnews.ksc.nasa.gov . With no subject or message.
or you can (un)subscribe on the World Wide Web at: http://kscnews.ksc.nasa.gov/
Status reports and other NASA publications are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/kscpao.htm .
