NASA Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report 19 September 2008

Mission: IBEX (Interstellar Boundary Explorer)
Launch Vehicle: Pegasus XL (Orbital Sciences)
Launch Facility: Reagan Test Site, Kwajalein Pacific Atoll
Launch Date: Oct. 19, 2008
Launch Time: 2:58 p.m. – 3:06 p.m. EDT
(06:58 a.m. – 07:06 a.m. local Kwajalein time)

The IBEX spacecraft, its upper stage booster and the Pegasus XL rocket are in the Orbital Sciences launch vehicle hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Integrated verification testing of the IBEX spacecraft and the Pegasus XL rocket, originally scheduled for Sept. 13 and 14, was delayed due to some problems found in the IBEX flight stack electrical harnesses. The issues were resolved and the initial integrated testing on IBEX/Pegasus was completed on Sept. 17 with no major complications.

The complete IBEX flight system tentatively is planned to be attached to the Pegasus launch vehicle Sept. 22-24.

Departure of the L-1011 carrying the Pegasus XL rocket with IBEX from Vandenberg currently is planned for Oct. 10. After a stop in Hawaii, the flight will continue and arrive at the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll in the south Pacific on Oct. 11.

Previous status reports are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/status/2008