Status Report: Expendable Vehicles and Deployable Payloads

MISSION: HESSI (High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager)

LAUNCH VEHICLE: Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL

LAUNCH SITE: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

LAUNCH DATE: NET Feb. 5, 2002

LAUNCH WINDOW: 3:21 – 5:21 p.m. EST (T-0: 3:26 p.m.)

The launch of Pegasus/HESSI has been re-targeted for NET Feb. 5.
The additional time is necessary to complete review of the similarities of
materials and components used on the Pegasus Orion solid rocket motor and
the Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM) of National Missile Defense BV-3 target
vehicle. That vehicle failed during launch in December at Vandenberg Air
Force Base (VAFB).

At VAFB, the HESSI spacecraft was encapsulated in the payload
fairing atop the Pegasus rocket on Jan. 11. Mating of the Pegasus to the
L-1011 is tentatively planned to occur on Jan. 29 and the ferry flight to
KSC is targeted for Feb. 1.

A follow-up Flight Readiness Review is planned to occur on Jan. 28
to discuss any action items that may come from the data review.

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

LAUNCH VEHICLE: Lockheed Martin ATLAS IIA (AC-143)

LAUNCH PAD: 36-A Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

LAUNCH DATE: March 8, 2002

LAUNCH WINDOW: 5:39 – 6:19 p.m. EST

A review to determine the readiness of TDRS-I to be s0Dd to
Florida for final launch preparations is planned for Jan. 24. The TDRS-I
spacecraft is currently planned to arrive at KSC from the Boeing Satellite
Systems plant in El Segundo, Calif., on Jan. 31.

At the launch pad, no significant Atlas vehicle processing activity
is scheduled this week.

MISSION: Aqua EOS-PM (Earth Observing System Aqua Observatory)

LAUNCH VEHICLE: DELTA II 7920-10L

LAUNCH PAD: Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Air Force Base

LAUNCH DATE: April 18, 2002

LAUNCH WINDOW: 1:54:50 – 2:04:50 p.m. PST

The Aqua Ground Operations Working Group met Jan. 16 at the TRW
plant in Redondo Beach, Calif. The readiness of the spacecraft for shipping
and the remaining work to be done was reviewed. At the conclusion of the
meeting, Feb. 23 (NET) was identified as a planning date for shipment of the
spacecraft to Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The erection of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on the pad at
Space Launch Complex 2 is planned to begin on Feb. 20 at Vandenberg Air
Force Base in California. The Boeing review to assess readiness of the
vehicle and the launch pad for that activity is scheduled for Feb. 19 in
Huntington Beach, Calif.