Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report

[KSC News Center <ksc@mediaservices.nasa.gov>]

April 14, 2011

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
george.h.diller@nasa.gov

STATUS REPORT: ELV-041411

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

Spacecraft: Aquarius
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7320
Launch Site:  Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Pad:  Space Launch Complex 2
Launch Date:  June 9, 2011
Launch Window: 7:20:13 - 7:25:13 a.m. PDT
Altitude/Inclination: 408 miles/98 degrees 

At Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft is 
undergoing Limited Performance Tests including the SAC-D service 
platform, the Aquarius science instrument, and the SAC-D instruments. 


At NASA's Space Launch Complex 2, the Delta II second-stage propulsion 
system qualification testing is under way. First-stage propulsion 
system qualification testing is scheduled for next week.

The Aquarius/SAC-D mission is a collaboration between NASA and 
Argentina's space agency with participation by Brazil, Canada, France 
and Italy. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center 
in Florida is managing the launch. United Launch Alliance of Denver, 
Colo., is NASA's launch service provider of the Delta II 7320. 


Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V 551
Launch Site:  Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad:  Complex 41
Launch Date:  Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:40 a.m. EDT 

The Juno spacecraft arrived at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing 
Facility aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo plane at 7:55 p.m. on April 
8.

The spacecraft had been shipped from Lockheed Martin Space Systems in 
Denver. It was offloaded from the aircraft and taken to the Astrotech 
payload processing facility located near Kennedy Space Center. On 
April 9, it was moved inside the processing high bay, the lid to the 
shipping container was lifted from over the spacecraft, and the 
protective wrap surrounding it was removed.

On April 11, Juno was lifted onto a rotation and test fixture and 
rotated from the vertical to horizontal configuration so that 
electrical testing could begin. Initial testing now is under way. 
Antenna installations, including the high gain antenna, begin April 
20.

The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times 
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere 
and magnetosphere. 

Previous status reports are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/status/index.html 
 

	
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