04.12.06<br /><br /><br />Joe Pally<br />Headquarters, Washington<br />(202) 358-7239<br /><br /><br />George H. Diller<br />Kennedy Space Center, Fla.<br />(321) 867-2468<br /><br /><br />STATUS REPORT: ELV-041206<br /><br /><br />EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT<br /><br /><br />Mission: Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite <br />Observation and CloudSat (CALIPSO/CloudSat) <br />Launch Site: NASA's Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Air Force Base, <br />Calif. <br />Launch Vehicle: Boeing Delta II <br />Launch Date: April 21, 2006 <br />Launch Time: 6:02:08 a.m. EDT <br /><br /><br />NASA transported CALIPSO and CloudSat from the Astrotech payload <br />processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., to the <br />launch complex on April 8. The payload was hoisted and attached to <br />the top of the Delta II rocket.<br /><br /><br />The Flight Program Verification, an integrated electrical and <br />mechanical flight test involving the Delta II and the <br />CALIPSO/CloudSat payload, was successfully completed today. Following <br />the test, technicians began installation of the launch vehicle <br />ordnance. Payload closeouts are planned for Thursday. Installation of <br />the fairing around the two spacecraft is scheduled for Friday. <br /><br /><br />For more information about CALIPSO/CloudSat, visit: <br /><br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/calipso or http://www.nasa.gov/cloudsat <br /><br /><br />Previous status reports are available on the Web at:<br /><br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/status/2006