NASA Expendable Launch Vehicles Status Report 16 June 2006
Mission: STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory)
Launch Pad: 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Launch Vehicle: Boeing Delta II
Launch Date: July 22, 2006
Launch Times: 3:11 – 3:13 p.m. or 4:19 – 4:34 p.m. EDT
At the Astrotech Space Operations Facility, testing and prelaunch processing of STEREO continues. Communications testing with the Deep Space Network continues. On observatory “A” on Wednesday, the Heliospheric Imager vertical instrument door was successfully deployed during testing. On observatory “B,” the scientific instruments were aligned and tested. Comprehensive performance testing of both observatories continues to go well. STEREO is planned to be transported to Launch Complex 17 on July 11 to be mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket.
The first stage of the Delta II rocket at Pad 17-B was erected on June 2. The first of three sets of three solid rocket boosters was attached on June 5. A fourth solid rocket booster is set to be attached on Saturday. Following this, no further work on the launch vehicle is scheduled until after a U.S. Air Force launch next week on adjacent Pad 17-A.
For information about the STEREO mission, visit:
For previous expendable launch vehicle processing status reports, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/status/2006
