GALEX Processing Notes

The launch of NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) air-launched Pegasus vehicle occurred on schedule on Monday, April 28 at 8 a.m. EDT.

The launch began with the departure of the L-1011 aircraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 7:03 a.m. The drop of the Pegasus rocket from the L-1011 occurred over the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of 39,000 feet at a location approximately 100 nautical miles offshore east-northeast of Cape Canaveral. A nominal spacecraft separation from Pegasus occurred 11 minutes later. At that time the satellite was in a circular orbit of 430 statute miles (690 km) at a 29-degree inclination. Shortly thereafter, spacecraft acquisition occurred by the TDRS-West Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, followed by tracking stations on the ground in Australia and Hawaii that were able to confirm the GALEX telescope was in a good state of health.

GALEX continues to operate satisfactorily and spacecraft checkout of GALEX is underway.

GALEX will observe a million galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history to help astronomers determine when the stars and galaxies we see today had their origins. The spacecraft will make the first ultraviolet scan of the whole sky beyond the Milky Way galaxy.

The GALEX program management is by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard’s Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (May 5, 2003 status report)

The launch of NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) air-launched Pegasus vehicle is on schedule for launch over the Atlantic Ocean from Orbital's L-1011 carrier aircraft on Monday, April 28 at 8 a.m. EDT. This time is contained within a launch window that opens at 7:50 a.m. and closes at 9:50 a.m. EDT.

GALEX was re-mated to the Pegasus on Monday, April 7, followed by a flight simulation on Wednesday, April 9. The GALEX/Pegasus was transported to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station skid strip and mated to the L-1011 on Thursday, April 24. An integrated test, the Combined Systems Test (CST), is underway today. The Launch Readiness Review, the final review before launch, is scheduled for Saturday, April 26.

The launch begins with the drop of the Pegasus rocket from the L-1011 over the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of 39,000 feet at a location approximately 100 nautical miles offshore east-northeast of Cape Canaveral. The launch is expected to be visible from the coast. Spacecraft separation from the Pegasus occurs 11 minutes later. At that time the satellite will be in a circular orbit of 431 statute miles (690 km) at a 29-degree inclination.

GALEX will observe a million galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history to help astronomers determine when the stars and galaxies we see today had their origins. The spacecraft will make the first ultraviolet scan of the whole sky beyond the Milky Way galaxy.

The GALEX program management is by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard's Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science.

The GALEX program management is by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard's Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (April 25, 2003 status report)

Processing of GALEX began its conclusion with the encapsulation of the GALEX spacecraft on Sunday, April 13, with the starboard fairing. The activity finished today with installation of the port fairing.

Because SIRTF will now take the GALEX launch opportunity, a new launch date for GALEX has not been identified. However, it is expected to be approximately one week after the launch of SIRTF.

GALEX was re-mated to the Pegasus on Monday, April 7, followed by a flight simulation on Wednesday, April 9. The GALEX/Pegasus will be transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and mated to the L-1011 about four days before launch. An integrated test, the Combined Systems Test (CST), will follow.

The GALEX program management is by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard’s Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (April 14, 2003 status report)

The GALEX test team has conducted a borescope inspection of the spacecraft and did not find any loose hardware within it. Foreign object debris shields were installed which will assure protection of the spacecraft components once the satellite is in orbit.

GALEX will be re-mated to the Pegasus on Monday, April 14. A flight simulation will follow. The fairing will be installed around GALEX on April 14. The GALEX/Pegasus will be transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and mated to the L-1011 carrier aircraft on April 22. An integrated test, a Combined Systems Test (CST) will follow.

The GALEX program management is by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard's Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (April 3, 2003 status report)

The GALEX test team is taking additional time to resolve an issue with a de-mated connector found during recent testing. The connector was observed to have a small fastener and associated clip that cannot be found. Since it cannot be proven that this hardware is not somewhere within the spacecraft bus, foreign object debris shields will be installed to assure that there is protection to spacecraft components that might be affected once the satellite is in orbit. This work will begin on Thursday, March 27. A borescope inspection of the spacecraft is under way today to look for the hardware.

The spacecraft was de-mated from the Orbital Sciences Pegasus rocket on March 24. The following day it was rotated to vertical and placed on a test stand so that the planned work could begin.

The GALEX program management is by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard’s Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (March 26, 2003 status report)

The GALEX test team needs additional time to resolve an issue with a de-mated connector found during recent testing. The connector was observed to have a small missing fastener and associated clip that cannot be found. Since it cannot be proven that this hardware is not somewhere within the spacecraft bus, foreign object debris shields will be installed where necessary to assure that there is protection to spacecraft components that might be affected once the satellite is in orbit.

The spacecraft will be de-mated from the Orbital Sciences Pegasus rocket on Monday. The following day the spacecraft will be rotated to vertical and placed on a test stand so that the planned work can begin.

A new launch date has not yet been established but a launch in April is still possible.

The GALEX program management is by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard’s Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (March 19, 2003 status report)

In the Multipurpose Payload Processing Facility (MPPF), mating of the GALEX spacecraft to Pegasus launch vehicle is underway today. Once the electrical connections have been established, a Flight Simulation test will be performed.

GALEX will be transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station the last week of March for mating to the Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft.

A request for a launch date of Apr. 2 has been made to the Eastern Range. That date is not available at this time. As an alternative, schedule options are being developed for a launch date as early as Mar. 30.

The GALEX program management is by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard's Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (March 13, 2003 status report)

Based on results of tests performed on the GALEX spacecraft on March 4, it has been determined that additional inspection of electrical connectors on the spacecraft is required that will require additional time for processing in the Multi-purpose Payload Processing Facility (MPPF). A documentation review of the thrust vector control system on the Pegasus third stage will also be undertaken during this time. The launch is being rescheduled to no earlier than April 2, 2003, pending availability of the Eastern Range.

Once the GALEX spacecraft is mated to the Pegasus late next week and the mechanical and electrical connections have been established, an Interface Verification Test will be performed.

The Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft with the Pegasus launch vehicle arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. on Feb. 18. In the MPPF, Flight Simulation No. 3 was successfully completed on March 3. The payload attach fitting is being installed today.

GALEX will be transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 21 for mating to the Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft.

The Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft with the Pegasus launch vehicle arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Feb. 18. The following day, it was demated from the L-1011 and transported to the Multipurpose Payload Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, arriving there at 8 p.m.

The payload fairing was removed on Feb. 21. A flight simulation was performed the following day. An Interface Verification Test (IVT) involving the launch vehicle and the GALEX spacecraft was performed on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Another Flight Simulation is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 28.

GALEX will be mated to the Pegasus vehicle on March 5 and then transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 21 for mating to the Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft.

The GALEX program management is by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard’s Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (February 28, 2003 status report)

The Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft with the Pegasus launch vehicle arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. at 4:21 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18. It is being demated from the L-1011 today and transported to the Multipurpose Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at Kennedy Space Center early this evening.

Last week at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus was mated to the L-1011 on Friday, Feb. 14 and was followed by a fully successful Combined Systems Test.

GALEX, built for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory by the Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, Feb. 2 and is undergoing prelaunch testing at the MPPF located in the KSC Industrial Area. The spacecraft completed a solar array lighting test on Feb. 12, and a deployment test of the arrays was completed on Feb. 13. The spacecraft functional test and battery reconditioning is scheduled this week.

The GALEX program management is by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard's Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (February 19, 2003 status report)

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Orbital Sciences Pegasus launch vehicle completed the second scheduled flight simulation on Sunday, Feb. 2. All data from the test was nominal. The payload fairing installation began on Monday, Feb. 10 and will be completed on Thursday, Feb. 13. The launch vehicle rollout and mate to the L-1011 aircraft is currently scheduled for Friday, Feb. 14 and will be followed by the Combined Systems Test (CST). The Pegasus launch vehicle is currently planned for ferry to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the L-1011 aircraft on Feb. 18.

GALEX, built for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory by the Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, Feb. 2 and is undergoing prelaunch testing at the Multipurpose Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) located in the KSC Industrial Area. The spacecraft completed a solar array lighting test today and a deployment test of the arrays is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13.

The GALEX program management is by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard's Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (February 12, 2003 status report)

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Orbital Sciences Pegasus launch vehicle completed the second scheduled flight simulation (2b) on Sunday, Feb. 2. All data from the test was nominal. The launch vehicle Combined Systems Test (CST) is scheduled for February 14. The Pegasus launch vehicle is currently planned for ferry to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the L-1011 aircraft on Feb. 18.

GALEX, built for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory by the Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, Feb. 2 and is preparing for prelaunch testing at the Multipurpose Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) located in the KSC Industrial Area. The spacecraft and test equipment is being unpacked, charging of batteries and test equipment will follow.

The GALEX program management is by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and is part of Goddard’s Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science. (February 5, 2003 status report)

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Orbital Sciences Pegasus launch vehicle is undergoing testing. It has successfully completed the launch vehicle verification test, testing of its flight controls, and a flight simulation.

The launch vehicle is currently planned for ferry to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the L-1011 aircraft on Feb. 18.

The spacecraft, built for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory by the Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group is also undergoing testing and is currently scheduled to arrive at KSC on Feb. 2.

The GALEX mission is led by the California Institute of Technology. (January 29, 2003 status report)

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Orbital Sciences Pegasus launch vehicle is undergoing testing. It has successfully completed the launch vehicle verification test, flight control phasing, and flight simulation.

The launch vehicle is currently planned ferry to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the L-1011 aircraft on Feb. 14.

The spacecraft, built for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory by the Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group is also undergoing testing and is currently scheduled to arrive at KSC on Feb. 2.

The GALEX mission is led by the California Institute of Technology. (January 22, 2003 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia. Due to problems found during thermal vacuum testing of GALEX, shipment to KSC has been postponed and the launch is being rescheduled. Troubleshooting, data analysis and further testing of the spacecraft is being performed.

In California at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle is ready for ferry to KSC on the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft but is predicated on the prior arrival of the spacecraft at KSC. (September 04, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia. Due to spacecraft problems found during thermal vacuum testing of the spacecraft, shipment to KSC has been postponed while troubleshooting and further testing and data analysis is performed.

In California at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle is ready for ferry to KSC on the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft but is predicated on the arrival of the spacecraft at KSC.

The launch has not been rescheduled at this time. (August 28, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Va. Due to spacecraft problems found during thermal vacuum testing of the spacecraft, shipment to KSC has been postponed while troubleshooting and further testing and data analysis is performed.

In California at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle is ready for ferry to KSC on the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft but is predicated on the arrival of the spacecraft at KSC. (August 14, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia. The planned hardware and software changes to the spacecraft's logic unit were implemented. The necessary testing and data analysis have been underway.

Meanwhile, in California at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle has completed processing and is ready for ferry to KSC on the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft. This is currently planned for Sept. 13 but is predicated on the date of arrival of the spacecraft at KSC. (August 7, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia, and is expected to arrive at KSC to begin final processing no earlier than August 26. The decision to make some hardware and software changes to the spacecraft's logic unit has been implemented and testing is under way.

Meanwhile, in California at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle has completed processing and is ready for ferry to KSC on the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft. This is planned for September 13 but is predicated on the arrival of the spacecraft at KSC as currently scheduled. (July 31, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia and is expected to arrive at KSC to begin final processing on or about August 26. A decision was made to implement some hardware and software changes to the spacecraft's logic unit. These have been installed and testing of the new components is now underway. The tests are expected to conclude by August 1.

Meanwhile, in California at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle has completed processing and is ready for ferry to KSC. This is planned for approximately Sept. 13.

At this time, the launch is anticipated to occur no earlier than Oct. 17. (July 24, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia, and is expected to be shipped to KSC for final processing in mid-August. A decision has been made to implement some hardware and software changes to the spacecraft's logic unit.

Meanwhile, in California at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle has completed processing and is ready for ferry to KSC. This is planned to occur approximately two weeks after the arrival of the GALEX spacecraft.

A new processing schedule and target launch date is anticipated next week. (July 17, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Va., and is expected to be shipped to KSC for final processing in mid-August. A decision has been made to implement some hardware and software changes to the spacecraft's logic unit.

Meanwhile, in California at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle has completed processing and is ready for ferry to KSC. This is planned to occur approximately two weeks after the arrival of the GALEX spacecraft. (July 10, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia. The arrival date at KSC is under review.

Meanwhile, in California at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus launch vehicle continues to undergo standard prelaunch processing. The second of four flight simulations was successfully completed on June 17 and routine processing also continues on the vehicle nose fairing.

Arrival of the Pegasus XL at KSC is being planned to occur approximately two weeks after arrival of the GALEX spacecraft. (July 3, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia and undergoing final preparations before shipment to KSC. The arrival date at KSC is under review.

Meanwhile, in California, the Pegasus launch vehicle continues processing at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The second of four flight simulations was successfully completed on June 17. Standard prelaunch preparations are continuing on the vehicle nose fairing.

Arrival of the Pegasus XL at KSC is being planned to occur approximately two weeks after arrival of the GALEX spacecraft. (June 27, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia and undergoing final preparations before shipment to KSC. The arrival date at KSC is under review.

Meanwhile, in California, the Pegasus launch vehicle continues processing at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The second of four flight simulations was successfully completed on June 17. Standard prelaunch preparations are continuing on the vehicle nose fairing.

Arrival of the Pegasus XL at KSC is being planned to occur approximately two weeks after arrival of the GALEX spacecraft. (June 19, 2002 status report)

The GALEX spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group facility in Dulles, Virginia and undergoing final preparations before shipment to KSC no earlier than June 26. Also in Dulles, the Pegasus Launch Vehicle Mission Readiness Review was successfully completed on May 31.

Meanwhile, in California, the Pegasus launch vehicle continues processing at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Launch preparation work is under way on the vehicle nose fairing. The second of four flight simulations will be conducted next week.

Arrival of the Pegasus XL at KSC is being anticipated for July 11. Based on the current processing schedule, the spacecraft will be mated to the Pegasus XL vehicle on July 26 in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF). (June 12, 2002 status report)

The launch of GALEX has been rescheduled by approximately two weeks to allow time for the spacecraft to complete processing at the Orbital Space Systems Group spacecraft facility in Dulles, Va.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL will also need some additional time to complete processing that allows for resolution of a concern with the vehicle's thrust vector control system.

Arrival of GALEX at KSC is now tentatively planned to occur on June 25 and arrival of the Pegasus XL is being anticipated for July 11. (May 22, 2002 status report)

The Galex spacecraft is at the Orbital Space Systems Group spacecraft facility in Dulles, Virginia. Environmental testing is complete and preparations continue for a mid-June delivery to KSC.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Pegasus launch vehicle's fin activation system is being installed this week. The installation of the avionics battery is also being performed. Fairing preparations are also in work. Testing of the Pegasus vehicle continues in preparation for delivery to KSC in late June. (May 15, 2002 status report)

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