| The
launch of NASA’s
Aura spacecraft, the latest in the Earth Observing
System (EOS) series, has been rescheduled to no earlier
than July 10 due to two issues. Additional
time was needed to assure that suspect computer chips
causing difficulty on a different satellite were
not of the same lot as those aboard the Aura spacecraft. Also,
the engineering review board needed additional time
to clear the concern over the second stage fuel tank
shutoff valve failure. It was resolved satisfactorily
June 18. NASA is awaiting word from the WesternRange
that the request for a launch date of July 10 has
been confirmed.
The
spacecraft is at the Astrotech payload processing
facility located on North Vandenberg Air Force Base,
Calif. Although planned to be moved to Space Launch
Complex 2 today, the wind is too high for hoisting
atop the Delta II rocket. It remains on the transporter
in the spacecraft hangar ready for rollout. What
effect this may have on the launch date, if any,
will be evaluated when the spacecraft arrives at
the pad.
An
Aura stand-alone state-of-health check at the pad is
currently planned for Thursday or Friday. The
Flight Program Verification, an integrated test involving
the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle and the Aura spacecraft,
is scheduled to occur June 28. Payload fairing
installation is scheduled to begin July 1. The
Flight Readiness Review has been rescheduled for July
6.
Aura’s
four state-of-the-art instruments will study the
dynamics of chemistry occurring in the atmosphere. The
spacecraft will provide data to help scientists better
understand the Earth’s ozone, air quality and
climate change.
The
EOS Aura satellite, instruments and science investigations
are managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt, Md. Government
oversight of launch preparations and the countdown
management on launch day is the responsibility of
the NASA Launch Services Program based at Kennedy
Space Center. The launch service is provided
to NASA by Boeing Launch Services. |
