NASA Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report 1 Dec 2009

Spacecraft: Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7320
Launch Pad: SLC-2, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Date: Dec. 9, 2009
Launch Window: 6:09:33 – 6:23:51 a.m. PST

At Space Launch Complex 2, work to install the Delta II payload fairing around the spacecraft was completed as planned on Nov. 25. Cooling of the spacecraft’s cryogenic systems then was started and will continue until launch. A spacecraft functional test is under way.

The Flight Readiness Review is scheduled for Dec. 4. Loading of the storable hypergolic propellants aboard the Delta II second stage currently is planned for Dec. 5. At this time, there are no issues or concerns.

Spacecraft: Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-401
Launch Pad: Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Date: Feb. 3, 2010
Launch Window: 10:53 – 11:53 a.m. EST

At the Astrotech payload processing facility, SDO solar array inspections and cleaning are under way. This weekend, SDO will be moved to a fixture for rotation from vertical to horizontal to undergo final mechanical work and spacecraft cleaning. A spacecraft launch simulation is scheduled for Dec. 8. Spacecraft closeouts in preparation for fueling are scheduled to begin Dec. 15.

The Atlas and the Centaur stages of the Atlas V rocket are in the hangar at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center (ASOC), located south of Launch Complex 41, where they continue to undergo preliminary testing. The Atlas V will be transported to the Vertical Integration Facility at Launch Complex 41 in mid-December.

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