Spacecraft and Expendable Vehicles Status Report 21 Aug 2002
MISSION: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-J (TDRS-J)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA (AC-144)
LAUNCH SITE: Pad 36-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE: November 20, 2002
LAUNCH WINDOW: 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. EST (tentative)
The Atlas II launch vehicle is at the Lockheed Martin factory in Denver, Colorado undergoing final assembly. Final assembly, integration and testing of the launch vehicle is underway and proceeding as planned on the current schedule. The arrival date of the booster at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is planned for October 8.
The TDRS-J spacecraft is undergoing testing at the factory and is planned to arrive at Kennedy Space Center from the Boeing Satellite Systems plant in El Segundo, California on or about October 17.
MISSION: Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
LAUNCH LOCATION: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE: December 1, 2002
LAUNCH WINDOW: T-0: 11:00 a.m. EST (tentative)
SORCE is at the Orbital Space Systems Group spacecraft facility in Dulles, Virginia undergoing planned space environment testing which is going satisfactorily. The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Space Center to begin final processing on October 25.
The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle continues to undergo buildup and testing at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Two Flight Simulation tests are scheduled while the vehicle is in California. Flight Simulation No. 1 is scheduled for October 1 and will be followed by Flight Simulation No. 2 on October 9.
The Pegasus is scheduled for ferry to Cape Canaveral using the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft on October 28.
Three Flight Simulation tests are also planned at KSC prior to launch and are scheduled to occur on November 1, November 8 and November 18.
MISSION: Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
LAUNCH SITE: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE: Under Review
LAUNCH WINDOW: TBD
The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia. Due to spacecraft problems found during thermal vacuum testing of the spacecraft, shipment to KSC has been postponed while troubleshooting and further testing and data analysis is performed.
In California at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle is ready for ferry to KSC on the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft but is predicated on the arrival of the spacecraft at KSC.
The launch has not been rescheduled at this time.
