NASA Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report 31 July 2009

Mission: Space Tracking and Surveillance System – Demonstrators
Program (STSS-Demo)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920-10
Launch Pad: Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Date: Sept. 15, 2009
Launch Window: 8 – 9 p.m. EDT

At Pad 17-B, no significant work is being undertaken to allow the launch team to work on the Air Force Delta II on adjacent Pad 17-A. The vehicle will loft into orbit the final Air Force Global Positioning System navigation satellite in the current series on Aug. 17.

Mission: Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-401
Launch Pad: Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Timeframe: Dec. 4, 2009

On July 27, the SDO spacecraft was moved from a work stand onto a Ransome table. This device allows for the spacecraft to be raised, lowered or rotated into various orientations for access to the various spacecraft instruments and subsystems. On July 28, the initial charging of the spacecraft flight battery was completed.

The SDO full observatory comprehensive performance test still is planned to begin on Aug. 10. This will fully test all of the spacecraft science instruments and will be their last major evaluation before launch.

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