NASA Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report 8 April 2011

Spacecraft: Aquarius
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7320
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 2
Launch Date: June 9, 2011
Launch Window: 7:20:13 – 7:25:13 a.m. PDT
Altitude/Inclination: 408 miles/98 degrees

At Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft arrived from South America aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft on March 30. It was offloaded and transported to the Spaceport Systems International (SSI) payload processing facility on South Vandenberg.

The following day in the air lock, the shipping container was cleaned and it then was rolled into the high bay. On April 1, the shipping container was opened and the satellite was prepared for lifting. Once in the processing cell, it was hoisted onto the handling dolly April 2. Inspection of the solar arrays and testing of the spacecraft’s propulsion subsystem then began. Spacecraft battery charging was performed April 7.

The satellite is scheduled to be rotated to the vertical position on April 8 for further testing.

At NASA’s Space Launch Complex 2, the Delta II first stage was hoisted into position on March 1. The work to attach the three solid rocket boosters then began on March 9. The second stage was hoisted atop the first stage March 21. Testing of the rocket now is under way.

The Aquarius/SAC-D mission is a collaboration between NASA and Argentina’s space agency with participation by Brazil, Canada, France and Italy.

NASA’s Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is managing the launch.

United Launch Alliance of Denver, Colo., is the launch service provider to NASA of the Delta II 7320.

Previous status reports are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/status/index.html