NASA Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report 12 January 2006

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. 17, 2006
LAUNCH WINDOW: 1:24 p.m. – 3:23 p.m.

The Flight Readiness Review was successfully completed today at the Kennedy Space Center. The launch of New Horizons remains scheduled for Jan. 17. The White House Office of Science Technology Policy has also given approval for the launch to proceed.

Final spacecraft closeouts are under way and will conclude Friday, Jan. 13. The payload test team will be conducting spacecraft electrical tests on Saturday, Jan. 14, and the fairing access doors will be closed for flight.

Rollout of the Atlas V from the Vertical Integration Facility is scheduled to occur at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 16. That afternoon, the storable RP-1 fuel will be loaded aboard the Atlas first stage tank.

On Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 10:39 a.m., Pad 41 will be cleared of personnel in preparation for cryogenic fueling operations which are scheduled to begin at L-2 hours, or 11:24 a.m.

MISSION: Space Technology 5 (ST5)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL
LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
LAUNCH DATE: Feb. 28, 2006
LAUNCH WINDOW: 5:57:21 a.m. – 7:19:21 a.m. PST

Mating of the Pegasus second and third stage is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Jan. 13. Mating of the first and second stage is currently planned for Jan. 16.

Pegasus Flight Simulation No. 2 is scheduled for Jan. 25 and 26. Flight Simulation No. 1 was conducted last week and was fully successful.

ST5 thermal blanket closeouts will be completed today. A limited spacecraft functional test is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 13, when the payload also will be weighed.

MISSION: Cloud-Aerosol Lidar & Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation/CloudSat (CALIPSO/CloudSat)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Boeing Delta 7420 with Dual Payload Attach Fitting
LAUNCH PAD: Space Launch Complex 2
LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
LAUNCH DATE: No earlier than February 2006
LAUNCH WINDOW: TBD

CALIPSO and CloudSat are installed in the Dual Payload Attach Fitting at the Astrotech payload processing facilities on north Vandenberg. They will remain there until a new launch date is determined and then be prepared for transportation to NASA’s Space Launch Complex 2. Spacecraft battery charging is being performed as necessary.

Further Delta II preparations at the launch pad are on hold until the CALIPSO/CloudSat payloads arrive for installation atop the second stage.