NASA Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report 2 May 2008

Mission: GLAST (Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope)
Location: Astrotech payload processing facility
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920-H
Launch Pad: 17-B
Launch Date: TBD (under assessment)
Launch Window: 11:45 a.m. – 1:40 p.m. EDT

At Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a cryogenic test of the Delta II first stage is scheduled for May 7. This test includes a countdown and the loading aboard of liquid oxygen as a leak check of the first stage. The following day a Simulated Flight Test will be performed exercising the onboard vehicle systems of the Delta II from liftoff through spacecraft separation. NASA managers are working to resolve an issue with flight ordnance that they consider could affect mission success.

At Astrotech, a final cleaning of the GLAST spacecraft and the associated black light inspection have been completed. Preparations have begun to move the spacecraft to the hazardous processing facility on Sunday. Fueling operations are scheduled for next week.

Mission: OSTM/Jason-2
Location: Astrotech payload processing facility, Vandenberg Air Force Base
Launch Vehicle: Delta II
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Air Force Base
Launch Date: June 15, 2008
Launch Window: 1:47 – 1:56 a.m. PDT

An air cargo plane delivered the OSTM/Jason-2 spacecraft from Europe to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on April 29. It was taken to the Astrotech payload processing facility on north Vandenberg to begin processing. The shipping container was then opened, and the spacecraft was transferred to a work stand. Spacecraft checkout begins on May 6.

At Space Launch Complex 2, the Delta II first stage was placed into the pad launcher on April 25. The three solid rocket boosters were mated to the Delta II on May 1. The second stage is being hoisted atop the first stage Friday.

Previous status reports are available on the Web at:

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