NASA Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report 23 June 2009

Mission: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and
Sensing Satellite (LRO/LCROSS)
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V
Launch Pad: Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Date: June 18, 2009

At Complex 41 on June 18, LRO/LCROSS was launched successfully by the Atlas V rocket. Liftoff was at 5:32:00.1 p.m. EDT. LRO separated from LCROSS as planned 46 minutes after liftoff. The Centaur upper stage was turned over to LCROSS for mission operations slightly under four hours after launch at approximately 9:05 p.m. EDT.

Mission: Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-O)
Launch Vehicle: Delta IV
Launch Pad: Launch Complex 37, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Date: June 26, 2009
Launch Window: 6:14 – 7:14 p.m. EDT

Atop the Delta IV rocket at Launch Complex 37, GOES-O spacecraft closeouts for launch now are occurring. Final spacecraft battery charging is under way and should be complete Wednesday. A launch countdown dress rehearsal was performed Monday.

NASA has contracted with Boeing to build and launch the GOES-O spacecraft. The NASA Launch Services Program at Kennedy is supporting the launch in an advisory role. NASA spacecraft project management for GOES-O is the responsibility of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. After launch, once Boeing and NASA have completed on-orbit checkout and the spacecraft is operational, it will be turned over to NOAA.

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