Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) 25 Apr 2003 Launch Status Report

MISSION: Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)

• LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
• LAUNCH PAD: Skid Strip, Canaveral Air Force Station
• LAUNCH DATE: April 28, 2003
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 7:50 – 9:50 a.m. EDT (Target drop time 8:00 a.m. EDT)

The launch of NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) air-launched Pegasus vehicle is on schedule for launch over the Atlantic Ocean from Orbital’s L-1011 carrier aircraft on Monday, April 28 at 8 a.m. EDT. This time is contained within a launch window that opens at 7:50 a.m. and closes at 9:50 a.m. EDT.

GALEX was re-mated to the Pegasus on Monday, April 7, followed by a flight simulation on Wednesday, April 9. The GALEX/Pegasus was transported to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station skid strip and mated to the L-1011 on Thursday, April 24. An integrated test, the Combined Systems Test (CST), is underway today. The Launch Readiness Review, the final review before launch, is scheduled for Saturday, April 26.

The launch begins with the drop of the Pegasus rocket from the L-1011 over the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of 39,000 feet at a location approximately 100 nautical miles offshore east-northeast of Cape Canaveral. The launch is expected to be visible from the coast. Spacecraft separation from the Pegasus occurs 11 minutes later. At that time the satellite will be in a circular orbit of 431 statute miles (690 km) at a 29-degree inclination.

GALEX will observe a million galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history to help astronomers determine when the stars and galaxies we see today had their origins. The spacecraft will make the first ultraviolet scan of the whole sky beyond the Milky Way galaxy.

The GALEX program management is by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard’s Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science.

The GALEX program management is by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard’s Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science.