SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT<br />January 22, 2003<br /><br /><br />George H. Diller<br />Kennedy Space Center<br />321/867-2468 <br /><br /><br />MISSION: Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL<br />LAUNCH LOCATION: Skid Strip, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station<br />LAUNCH DATE: Jan. 25, 2003 <br />LAUNCH WINDOW: 3:10 - 4:08 p.m. EST (Target T-0: 3:14 p.m. EST.)<br /> <br /> In the Multipurpose Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at KSC,<br />mating of the SORCE spacecraft to the Pegasus launch vehicle occurred on<br />Jan. 5 and the fairing was installed around the spacecraft on Jan. 15. This<br />morning, Jan. 22 at 4:45 a.m. the integrated vehicle left the MPPF and was<br />transported to the runway at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It arrived<br />there at 6:30 a.m. and the mating to the L-1011 carrier aircraft was<br />completed at 10:30 a.m.<br /><br /><br /> The Combined Systems Test, an integrated test involving the launch<br />vehicle, spacecraft and L-1011 aircraft, is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23.<br /><br /><br /> Departure of the L-1011 for launch on Saturday, Jan. 25 will be at<br />2:15 p.m. for a drop targeted to occur within the launch window at 3:14 p.m.<br />EST. The launch window opens at 3:10 p.m. and closes at 4:08 p.m. The drop<br />of the Pegasus will at an altitude of 39,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean<br />approximately 100 miles east-southeast of Cape Canaveral. <br /> <br /> The SORCE project is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight<br />Center, the spacecraft is built by the Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group,<br />and the instruments are built by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space<br />Physics (LASP).<br /><br /><br />MISSION: Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL<br />LAUNCH LOCATION: Skid Strip, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station<br />LAUNCH DATE: April 4, 2003<br />LAUNCH WINDOW: 6:50 - 8:50 a.m. EST<br /><br /><br /> At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Orbital Sciences<br />Pegasus launch vehicle is undergoing testing. It has successfully completed<br />the launch vehicle verification test, flight control phasing, and flight<br />simulation.<br /><br /><br /> The launch vehicle is currently planned ferry to Cape Canaveral<br />Air Force Station on the L-1011 aircraft on Feb. 14.<br /><br /><br /> The spacecraft, built for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory by the<br />Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group is also undergoing testing and is<br />currently scheduled to arrive at KSC on Feb. 2.<br /><br /><br /> The GALEX mission is led by the University of California at<br />Berkley. <br /><br /><br />MISSION: Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) and the Cosmic<br />Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPSat) <br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Boeing Delta II with<br />Reduced Height Dual Payload Attach Fitting (DPAF)<br />LAUNCH SITE: SLC-2, Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB)<br />LAUNCH DATE: January 12, 2003 <br />LAUNCH WINDOW: 4:45 - 5:30 p.m. PST<br /><br /><br /> The launch of ICESat/CHIPSat occurred successfully on Sunday,<br />January 12 at 4:45 p.m. PST. The Boeing Delta II launch vehicle performance<br />was nominal. On-orbit, both ICESat and CHIPSat are operating<br />satisfactorily.