At
Vandenberg Air Force Base, processing of the Pegasus
XL launch vehicle is going well. Mating
of the second stage to the third stage is currently
in progress. The first of three Pegasus Flight
Simulations has been successfully completed. The
second simulation is scheduled for Sept. 7, and
the third is currently planned for Sept. 23.
The
upper stage that will provide maneuvering for the spacecraft
during mission operations is scheduled to be mated
to DART this week. The Advanced Guidance Sensor (AVGS)
hardware, the primary technology demonstration experiment
for the satellite, is completing final testing at the
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The
optical characterization testing and final performance
verification test will be conducted this month. The AVGS
is expected to arrive at Vandenberg approximately Sept.
12 for installation aboard the satellite.
DART
was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences
Corporation as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate
and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. The DART spacecraft
weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and
3 feet in diameter. The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL
vehicle will launch DART into a circular polar orbit
of approximately 475 miles.
The
DART satellite provides a key step in establishing
autonomous rendezvous capabilities for the U.S. Space
Program. While previous rendezvous and docking efforts
have been piloted by astronauts, the unmanned DART
satellite will have computers and cameras to perform
its rendezvous functions.
Once
in orbit, DART will make contact with a target satellite,
the Multiple Paths, Beyond-Line-of-Site Communications
(MUBLCOM), also built by Orbital Sciences and launched
in 1999. DART will then perform several close-proximity
operations, such as moving toward and away from the
satellite using navigation data provided by on-board
sensors. The entire mission will last only 24 hours
and will be accomplished without human intervention.
The DART flight computer will determine its own path
to accomplish its mission objectives.
DART
is designed to demonstrate technologies required for
a spacecraft to locate and rendezvous, or maneuver
close to, other craft in space. Results
from the DART mission will aid in the development
of NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle and will
also assist in vehicle development for crew transfer
and crew rescue capability to and from the International
Space Station.
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