Spacecraft and Expendable Vehicles Status Report 24 Oct 2002

MISSION: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-J (TDRS-J)

• LAUNCH VEHICLE: Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA (AC-144)
• LAUNCH SITE: Pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
• LAUNCH DATE: November 20, 2002
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 10:36 p.m. – 11:16 p.m. EST

The TDRS-J spacecraft arrived at the Kennedy Space Center at 6:10
a.m. last Thursday, Oct. 17, and was taken to the Spacecraft Assembly and
Encapsulation Facility -2 in the KSC Industrial Area. Testing of the
satellite is now underway. Loading of the fuel and oxidizer is scheduled to
begin next week on Oct. 28. The operation to encapsulate the spacecraft
into the payload fairing begins Nov. 7.

At Pad A on Launch Complex 36, the next major milestone is the
Simulated Flight test (SimFlight) on Oct. 25, an electrical test of the
vehicle systems during simulated powered flight from launch through
spacecraft separation. To follow will be the vehicle’s Wet Dress Rehearsal
on Nov. 6, a countdown with the vehicle fully fueled with liquid hydrogen,
liquid oxygen and RP-1 propellants. The TDRS-J satellite will be mated with
the launch vehicle at the pad on Nov. 12 and followed on Nov. 13 with the
Composite Electrical Readiness Test (CERT). This will verify that the
vehicle and spacecraft are operating on an integrated basis.

The Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA launch vehicle arrived at Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station from Denver, Colo., on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 8:20
a.m. aboard an Antonov 124 aircraft. The Atlas stage with its Rocketdyne
MA-5A two-chamber booster engine and sustainer engine was erected on Pad
36-A on Oct. 9. The Centaur stage with its pair of Pratt and Whitney RL-10
engines was hoisted atop the Atlas on Oct. 11. The initial power
application to the vehicle occurred on Monday, Oct. 14.

This is the 24th and final Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA model launch
vehicle (no solid rocket boosters) and has a 100% success rate.

MISSION: Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE)

• LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
• LAUNCH LOCATION: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
• LAUNCH DATE: mid-December 2002
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 3:09 p.m. – 4:09 p.m. EST T-0: 3:14 P.M. EST.

SORCE, built by the Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group, is at
their spacecraft manufacturing facility in Dulles, Va. SORCE has
satisfactorily completed space environment tests and is undergoing final
preparation for shipment to Florida. The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive
at Kennedy Space Center to begin final processing this Saturday, Oct. 26.
The SORCE project is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The
instruments on the SORCE spacecraft are built by the Laboratory for
Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP).

The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL launch vehicle completed its
buildup and testing on Oct. 11 at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The mating of
the three stages was completed Oct. 15. Two Flight Simulation tests were
scheduled while the vehicle is in California. Flight Simulation No. 1 was
successfully completed on Oct. 11 and Flight Simulation No. 2 was completed
on Oct. 17.

Additional time will be required to re-work a silicon seal
associated with the interface between the Pegasus rocket and its wing area.
Due to Western Range and operational support requirements, the ferry to KSC
is now anticipated to occur during the second week of November with a launch
occurring in mid-December. The Pegasus will ferry to Cape Canaveral using
the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft. Three Flight Simulation tests are
also planned at KSC prior to launch.

MISSION: Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESAT) and the Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPSAT)

• LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II w/Dual Payload Attach Fixture (DPAF)
• LAUNCH SITE: SLC-2W Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB)
• LAUNCH DATE: December 19, 2002 (tentative)
• LAUNCH WINDOW: 4:09:32 – 5:32:00 p.m. PST

The ICESAT spacecraft was shipped to Vandenberg Air Force Base on
Oct. 23 from the manufacturer Ball Aerospace manufacturing facility in
Boulder, Colo. Upon arrival, ICESAT joined CHIPSAT at the Astrotech Space
Operations Payload Processing Facility. The instruments on ICESAT were also
developed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) under a
contract with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

The CHIPSAT spacecraft arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base on
Oct. 15, and was taken to the Astrotech Space Operations Payload Processing
Facility and has began powered-on operational testing and flight simulation.

The CHIPSAT spacecraft is functioning well and processing is going smoothly
with no issues or concerns. The tests are scheduled for completion on Oct.
26.

The Delta II first stage was erected on Space Launch Complex 2 on
North Vandenberg Air Force Base on Oct. 22. The solid rocket motor erection
is scheduled for today, Oct. 24, and will be followed by erection of the
second stage on Friday, Oct. 25. The first power-on testing is scheduled to
begin next week on Oct. 30.