The international Cassini spacecraft passed a milestone today toward launch when it was moved to Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Station and hoisted atop the Air Force Titan IV/Centaur rocket. The spacecraft left the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at KSC at 12:15 a.m. today and arrived at the pad at 1 a.m. It was on the Titan's Centaur upper stage at 9 a.m. Until now, Cassini and the European Space Agency's Huygens probe it carries have been undergoing integration and testing at the PHSF.
On Sept. 2, interface verification tests will begin. This test will verify that all of the electrical and mechanical connections between the spacecraft, the vehicle and the launch pad are complete. Also, a spacecraft functional test will be performed as a state of health check required to verify Cassini's successful transition from the spacecraft checkout hangar to the top of the Titan IV rocket.
Cassini close-out activities will begin on Sept. 8 leading to the encapsulation into the Titan IV nose fairing beginning Sept. 12. On Sept. 20 the Huygens probe close-outs will be performed.
A final integrated systems test for launch is currently scheduled for Sept. 23. This is primarily an electrical test of the Titan IV, the spacecraft and the mission critical ground support assets. This test includes the prelaunch "minus count" to T-0 and a "plus count" of the in-flight events for the Titan IV.
The last access by workers to Cassini and the Huygens probe will be Oct. 3 during the close-outs of the Titan IV fairing.
Cassini is scheduled for launch on Oct. 6 at 5:39 a.m. EDT. The window extends for one hour, 40 minutes. Cassini will spend the next 6.7 years en route to the planet Saturn with a projected arrival date of July 1, 2004.