Miscellaneous Launches and Payloads (updates)

[Blue-Vision]

They have to mate the Mission Package (Array, Support Systems, etc) to the Service Bus still. After that it'll be more testing, thus the 2018 LD. Lots of work left to do but it's rounding third finally.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Quote

Nov. 11   Atlas 5 • WorldView 4
Launch window: 1830-1846 GMT (1:30-1:46 p.m. EST; 10:30-10:46 a.m. PST)
Launch site: SLC-3E, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-062, will launch the WorldView 4 Earth observation satellite for DigitalGlobe. The rocket will fly in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from June 29 and Sept. 15. Scrubbed on Sept. 16. Delayed from Sept. 26 and Nov. 6. [Nov. 2]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

Atlas 5 rocket and WorldView 4 satellite ready to fly after wildfire delay

 

Credit: United Launch Alliance

 

Quote

The belated launch of a powerful Earth-imaging satellite that will take the highest resolution pictures in the market, postponed by an unprecedented wildfire near the pad, is scheduled to fly on Friday.

 

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will propel the WorldView 4 spacecraft into a sun-synchronous polar orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

 

Friday’s launch window, which has moved up one hour by the conclusion of Daylight Saving Time, extends from 10:30 to 10:45 a.m. local (1:30-1:45 p.m. EST; 1830-1845 GMT).

 

Air Force meteorologists say there is a 100 percent chance of acceptable weather conditions.

 

The liftoff comes nearly eight weeks after the Sept. 18 countdown, already in progress, was halted so firefighters could remain in place to battle a wildfire burning in a remote Vandenberg canyon south of the launch pad.

 

It took nearly a week to contain the erratic and swift-moving blaze, which burned more than 12,500 acres. What sparked the fire remains under investigation.

 

Although the launch pad was unharmed, the fire damaged the power and communications infrastructure at Vandenberg that has taken several weeks to repair.

 

The WorldView 4 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin for operator DigitalGlobe, weathered the fire in the snug confines of the nose cone of the Atlas 5 rocket, which itself was cocooned by the pad’s mobile service gantry.

 

A further slip this week was made to verify the booster’s readiness.

 

An artist’s concept of WorldView 4. Credit: DigitalGlobe

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/11/10/atlas-5-rocket-and-worldview-4-satellite-ready-to-fly-after-wildfire-delay/

 

Live coverage: Atlas 5 countdown and launch journal

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/11/10/av062status2/

 

Photos: WorldView 4 satellite’s road to launch

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/09/14/photos-worldview-4-satellites-road-to-launch/

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

About three minutes away from Liftoff of Atlas V WorldView

 

 

[Blue-Vision]

Good launch.  Nothing unusual or unexpected.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Commercial satellite launched to image the Earth in high-resolution

 

Quote

A companion to the world’s most powerful private Earth-imaging satellite rocketed into space today from the U.S. west coast atop an Atlas 5 to double the amount of high-resolution imagery available on the commercial market and satisfy the demands of customers clamoring for more.

 

The 10-year mission of the WorldView 4 satellite began at 10:30:33 a.m. local time (1:30:33 p.m. EST; 1830:33 GMT) as the United Launch Alliance booster powered away from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California after an extended wait to fly.

 

The launch was postponed eight weeks by a 12,500-acre wildfire that scorched Vandenberg in late September and the lengthy repairs to the base’s power grid in the aftermath.

 

Today’s liftoff culminated an 8-hour countdown highlighted by retraction of the mobile service gantry and the loading of 66,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants into the two-stage vehicle.

 

Following the signature status check — “Go Atlas,” “Go Centaur,” “Go WorldView 4” — declaring readiness in the final seconds, the main engine rumbled to life and 189-foot-tall rocket gracefully ascended from the pad.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/11/11/commercial-satellite-launched-to-image-the-earth-in-high-resolution/

 

Atlas V returns to California, hauls WorldView-4 Imaging Satellite to Orbit

Indepth analysis

http://spaceflight101.com/atlas-v-worldview-4-launch-success/

 

Atlas V 401 launches WorldView-4 satellite

video is 5:45 min.

 

 

 

-------------------------

 

Launch Schedule

 

Quote

Nov. 17   Ariane 5 • Galileo 15-18
Launch time: 1306:48 GMT (8:06:48 a.m. EST)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana
Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ES rocket, designed VA233, to launch four Galileo full operational capability satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation constellation. [Aug. 29]

Nov. 17   Soyuz • ISS 49S
Launch window: 2020 GMT (3:20 p.m. EST)
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the residents. Moved forward from Nov. 16. Delayed from Nov. 15. [Oct. 31]

Nov. 19   Atlas 5 • GOES-R
Launch window: 2242-2342 GMT (5:42-6:42 p.m. EST)
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-069, will launch GOES-R, the first next-generation geostationary weather satellite for NASA and NOAA. GOES-R will orbit 22,300 miles above the equator to monitor weather conditions across the United States. The rocket will fly in the 541 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, four solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from March 11. Moved forward from Oct. 14. Delayed from Oct. 13, Nov. 4 and Nov. 16. [Nov. 10]

Nov. 20   Long March 3C • Tianlian 1
Launch window: TBD
Launch site: Xichang, China
A Chinese Long March 3C rocket will launch China’s fourth Tianlian 1 data relay satellite. [Nov. 10]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Next Up...

 

Quote

Nov. 17   Ariane 5 • Galileo 15-18
Launch time: 1306:48 GMT (8:06:48 a.m. EST)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana
Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ES rocket, designed VA233, to launch four Galileo full operational capability satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation constellation. [Aug. 29]

Nov. 17   Soyuz • ISS 49S
Launch window: 2020 GMT (3:20 p.m. EST)
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the residents. Moved forward from Nov. 16. Delayed from Nov. 15. [Oct. 31]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

--------------------

 

 

 

Ariane 5 arrives at the launch zone for Arianespace’s November 17 mission with four Galileo satellites

 

Quote

The completed Ariane 5 was transferred today atop its mobile launch table from the Final Assembly Building – where payload integration occurred – to the Spaceport’s dedicated ELA-3 launch complex, setting the stage for Arianespace’s ninth overall mission in 2016 across its full family of Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega vehicles.

 

Designated Flight VA233 in the company’s numbering system, this upcoming Ariane 5 mission – set for Thursday, November 17 – will lift off at exactly 10:06:48 a.m. local time in French Guiana and deploy its quartet of Galileo spacecraft during a nearly four-hour flight.

 

Quote

Galileo is an important infrastructure program for Europe, creating a civil global satellite navigation system that provides highly-accurate positioning with great precision and reliability.

 

It is funded by the European Union, with overall responsibility for management and implementation held by the European Commission – while design and development of the new generation of systems and infrastructure has been assigned to the European Space Agency.

 

In support of the Galileo program, Arianespace is using the Ariane 5 ES version with an enhanced storable propellant upper stage that allows for reignition and long coast phases during the mission.

 

These upgrades maximize the launcher’s performance for deploying the Galileo spacecraft – which will have a combined mass of 2,865 kg. at liftoff – two at a time into a circular medium-Earth orbit. The satellites were built by OHB System in Bremen, Germany, with UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) supplying their navigation payloads.

http://www.arianespace.com/mission-update/va233-ariane-5-rollout-to-launch-zone/

 

Press release

 

Launch kit

 

Galileo FOC-M6, SAT 15-16-17-18   ESA

 

he latest Galileo spacecraft are integrated with their Ariane 5 launcher. Flight VA233. Four Galileo satellites.

 

he fueling of the first Galileo satellites for launch on Ariane 5. Flight VA233. Four Galileo satellites.

 

Ariane 5 nears completion of its transfer to the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone. Flight VA233. Four Galileo satellites

 

-------------------------------------

 

Airbus Safran Launchers and ESA sign confirmation of the Ariane 6 program

 

Following the review, the representatives of the ESA Member States unanimously voted in favour of continuing the Ariane 6 program.

 

Quote

The European Space Agency and Airbus Safran Launchers, industrial prime contractor of the Ariane 6 launcher, have signed the amendment to the agreement of 12 August 2015 committing the entire 2.4 billion euro planned for the development, production and operation of the two versions of the Ariane 6 launcher, Ariane 62 and 64.

 

The agreement of 12 August 2015 included a firm commitment of approximately 680 million euro to carry out the initial development (phases A and B) through to the preliminary design review (PDR) in mid-2016. The amendment allows ESA to notify Airbus Safran Launchers of the commitment of the 1.7 billion euro required to continue development, and then production and operation.

 

The amendment to the agreement follows the success of the in-depth review carried out in June, first by the industry (Maturity Gate 5) and then by the ESA Member States, which carefully examined the work done by Airbus Safran Launchers and its partners. This review confirmed the maturity of the launcher's development in relation to the goals set at the ESA Ministerial Conference in December 2014 in terms of costs, lead-times and technical performances.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Airbus_Safran_Launchers_and_ESA_sign_confirmation_of_the_Ariane_6_program_999.html

 

--------------------------

 

 

"Drag Race" between crawlers.

 

 

----------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Launch Schedule

 

Quote

Nov. 17   Ariane 5 • Galileo 15-18
Launch time: 1306:48 GMT (8:06:48 a.m. EST)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana
Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ES rocket, designed VA233, to launch four Galileo full operational capability satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation constellation. [Aug. 29]

Nov. 17   Soyuz • ISS 49S
Launch window: 2020 GMT (3:20 p.m. EST)
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the residents. Moved forward from Nov. 16. Delayed from Nov. 15. [Oct. 31]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

 

 

 

For Soyuz MS-03 launch

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

 

-------------------

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Ariane 5 rumbles off from South America with Quadruplet of Galileo Satellites

 

Quote

Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket rumbled off from South America on Thursday to carry into orbit the first quadruplet of Galileo Navigation Satellites, expanding the constellation to enter initial operational services.

 

Nicknamed Antonianna, Lisa, Kimberley and Tijmen, the four satellites were successfully deployed into the Galileo constellation nearly four hours after liftoff.

 

The first 14 Galileo satellites, including test and prototype spacecraft, were launched two at a time on Soyuz rockets from the Guiana Space Center and Baikonur Cosmodrome beginning with a pair of pathfinder satellites in 2005 and 2008 before operational missions started in 2011. Operated by the European Commission, Galileo provides Europe independent access to precise timing and navigation data that has become an integral part of many applications beyond vehicular navigation – explaining the desire to build an independent system that ends Europe’s reliance on the U.S. GPS.

indepth analysis at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/ariane-5-rumbles-off-from-south-america-with-quadruplet-of-galileo-satellites/

 

Europe's Ariane 5 placed four Galileo navigation satellites into medium Earth orbit on Nov. 17. It was the first time Ariane 5 had conducted a Galileo launch, and the first use of a new payload-dispenser system. Credit: ESA 

 

Launch of Ariane 5 ES with Four Galileo Satellites on VA-233

video is 10:32 min.

 

 

 

and of course...

 

Ariane 5 & Soyuz Launch | Galileo & Exp. 50 | KNews #64

video is 4:11 min.

 

 

 

 

Breathtaking Photos of Ariane 5 Liftoff with four Galileo Satellites

 

Quote

Stunning photos captured by ESA Photographers show Europe’s Ariane 5 workhorse blasting off from the Guiana Space Center on November 17, 2016 on a record-setting mission. Achieving its 75th consecutive success in a streak unbroken since 2003, Ariane 5 has now surpassed the retired Ariane 4 rocket. It was the longest flight ever carried out by Ariane, delivering four Galileo Navigation Satellites to their desired Medium Earth Orbit nearly four hours after liftoff.

http://spaceflight101.com/ariane-5-va233-photos/

 

 ESA / Stephane Corvaja, 2016

 

 

 ESA / Stephane Corvaja, 2016

 

 

 ESA / Stephane Corvaja, 2016

 

The Soyuz MS-03 coverage is in the ISS thread.

 

Next Launch....

 

Quote

Nov. 19   Atlas 5 • GOES-R
Launch window: 2242-2342 GMT (5:42-6:42 p.m. EST)
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-069, will launch GOES-R, the first next-generation geostationary weather satellite for NASA and NOAA. GOES-R will orbit 22,300 miles above the equator to monitor weather conditions across the United States. The rocket will fly in the 541 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, four solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from March 11. Moved forward from Oct. 14. Delayed from Oct. 13, Nov. 4 and Nov. 16. [Nov. 10]

Nov. 20   Long March 3C • Tianlian 1
Launch window: TBD
Launch site: Xichang, China
A Chinese Long March 3C rocket will launch China’s fourth Tianlian 1 data relay satellite. [Nov. 10]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Next launch...

 

Quote

Nov. 19   Atlas 5 • GOES-R
Launch window: 2242-2342 GMT (5:42-6:42 p.m. EST)
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-069, will launch GOES-R, the first next-generation geostationary weather satellite for NASA and NOAA. GOES-R will orbit 22,300 miles above the equator to monitor weather conditions across the United States. The rocket will fly in the 541 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, four solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from March 11. Moved forward from Oct. 14. Delayed from Oct. 13, Nov. 4 and Nov. 16. [Nov. 10]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

 

Preview: Weather satellite to touch the lives of every American ready to launch

 

Mission’s launch poster. Credit: United Launch Alliance

 

Quote

CAPE CANAVERAL — A new generation of spacecraft with unprecedented clarity and speed to observe the weather, improve forecasting and enhance tracking of severe storms across the United States begins with the launch of an Atlas 5 rocket on Saturday.

 

The 197-foot-tall United Launch Alliance rocket will propel an 11,500-pound satellite into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, lifting off during a 60-minute window that opens at 5:42 p.m. EST (2242 GMT).

 

That payload is known as GOES-R, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R, and it promises to revolutionize weather forecasting.

For the past 40 years, the linchpin to U.S. weather monitoring has been geostationary satellites, craft orbiting 22,300 miles above the Earth for a persistent watchful eye on the homeland below.

 

This weekend’s launch will take a “quantum leap” to upgrade the amount, the quality and the timeliness of data streaming from space that meteorologists use to predict future conditions and issue warnings when extreme weather is approaching.

 

Quote

“It really will be a game-changer in the fields of both weather and climate science for years to come,” said Stephen Volz, assistant NOAA administrator for its Satellite and Information Service.

 

“For weather forecasters, GOES-R is like going from black and white television to super high definition TV, and for the American public GOES-R will mean faster, more accurate weather forecasting and warning. This means more lives saved, it means more time and better environmental intelligence for local officials who have to decide whether to evacuate a community ahead of an approaching hurricane.”

 

GOES-R is the first of four new weather observatories that will be launched sequentially over the next 8 years to ensure meteorologists have eyes in space through into the 2030s. The program was an $11 billion investment made by the nation to create, build, launch and operate GOES-R, -S, -T, and -U.

 

“It’s a lot of money. The fact that it’s something every American sees everyday, though, and is so integral to the whole weather process is certainly the value,” said Greg Mandt, NOAA’s GOES-R program manager.

 

“The U.S. responsibility goes from the coast of Africa — for the start of hurricane formation — all the way out to Guam, plus we have a lot of aviation and marine responsibilities for ships and airplanes.”

 

Standing 18 feet tall and 33 feet wide with its single power-generating solar array extended, the GOES-R satellite carries six sophisticated instruments that will observe the Earth and the sun.

more at the link...

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/11/16/weather-satellite-that-will-touch-the-lives-of-every-american-ready-to-launch/

 

GOES-R Set for Saturday Launch, Ready for Quantum Leap in Earth Weather Watching

indepth analysis at the link...

http://www.americaspace.com/?p=96484

 

The GOES-R spacecraft is prepared for its 19 November 2016 launch. Photo Credit: NASA

 

NASA Goes Satellite Network

https://www.nasa.gov/content/goes

 

Live coverage: Atlas 5 countdown and launch journal

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/11/18/av069_journal/

 

 

 

[Beittil]

So, just as Centaur was done misbehaving with false positives we get a range issue for Atlas V/GOES-R...

 

Seems Tory is actively monitoring Twitter tho, he liked my tweet within 10 seconds... crazy

 

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Issues have been resolved (waiting for last poll).

 

6:42 EST launch (about 12 minutes from this post)

[Beittil]

6:42PM EST is also the END of the window! Anything happens now and it will be a scrub!

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Everything green across the board after system poll.  Launch in about 5 minutes.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Cool view.  Less than one minute for launch....range is green.

 

 

[Blue-Vision]

Launch coverage got cut. LMAO. Only NASA-TV, haha.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

haha...that was weird.  Back on though.

[Beittil]

Geez, some1 needs to get his evaluation at NASA TV

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Atlas 5 launches the most advanced U.S. weather satellite in history

 

Quote

CAPE CANAVERAL — Revolutionizing the way American meteorologists see the weather, likened to the advancement from black and white television to modern high definition TV, a new observatory was successfully launched Saturday by an Atlas 5 rocket to serve as the linchpin to forecasting what tomorrow will bring.

 

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket with the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R, or GOES-R, roared away from Cape Canaveral at 6:42 p.m. EST (2342 GMT).

 

The launch was delayed an hour while engineers verified a potential concern with a component on another rocket was no threat to the Atlas, then worked an undisclosed problem with the Eastern Range.

 

But those issues were resolved in time for liftoff to occur at the very last moment in the day’s hour-long launch opportunity.

 

“The flight hardware performed beautifully throughout the count and the weather was perfect,” said Omar Baez, the NASA launch director.

 

Liftoff begin three-and-a-half hours of highly complex maneuvers and in-space engine firings that propelled the 11,500-pound spacecraft into a customized elliptical orbit stretching from 5,000 to 22,000 miles and tilted 10 degrees, using the Atlas-Centaur’s capabilities to save the satellite’s precious onboard fuel supply.

 

At 10:14 p.m. EST (0314 GMT), GOES-R was deployed to fly freely, then unfolded its power-generating solar array minutes later, beginning a 20-year lifespan observing the weather across the Western Hemisphere — specifically the continental United States — with unprecedented resolution and speed.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/11/20/atlas-5-launches-the-most-advanced-u-s-weather-satellite-in-history/

 

 

Game-Changing Weather Satellite lifted into Orbit by Atlas V Rocket

indepth analysis...

http://spaceflight101.com/goes-r-launch-success/

 

 

GOES-R launched by Atlas V 541

video is 3:25 min.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------

 

Launch Schedule

 

Quote

Nov. 28   PSLV • Resourcesat 2A
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India
India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), flying on the PSLV-C36 mission, will launch India’s Resourcesat 2A Earth observation satellite designed to support agriculture and urban planning, monitor water resources and land use, and help officials respond to natural disasters. A collection of smaller secondary payloads from India, Italy and Latvia are also aboard the launch. Delayed from Nov. 23. [Oct. 31]

Dec. 1   Soyuz • Progress 65P
Launch time: 1452 GMT (9:52 a.m. EST)
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 65th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. Delayed from April 22 and Oct. 20. [Oct. 31]

December   Proton • EchoStar 21
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
An International Launch Services Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage will deploy the EchoStar 21 communications satellite, formerly known as TerreStar 2. EchoStar 21 will provide mobile broadband services over Europe with an S-band payload for EchoStar Mobile Ltd. Delayed from June 25, Aug. 29, Oct. 10 and Nov. 23. [Oct. 31]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Landsat 9 has been fast-tracked for a December 2020 launch (was tentatively scheduled for 2023)

Quote

Landsat 9—a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey— will continue the Landsat program’s critical role in monitoring, understanding and managing the land resources needed to sustain human life.

 

Today’s increased rates of global land cover and land use change have profound consequences for weather and climate change, ecosystem function and services, carbon cycling and sequestration, resource management, the national and global economy, human health, and society.

 

Landsat is the only U.S. satellite system designed and operated to repeatedly observe the global land surface at a moderate scale that shows both natural and human-induced change.

 

Since reducing the risk of a Landsat data gap is a high priority of the U.S. Sustainable Land Imaging Program, Landsat 9 will be a rebuild of Landsat 8 so it can be launched as soon as possible.

 

Landsat 9, like Landsat 8, will have a higher imaging capacity than past Landsats, allowing more valuable data to be added to the Landsat’s global land archive.

 

Landsat 8, after collecting data for 3.5 years, has already added over 827,000 images to the archive—this represents 12.5 percent of the entire 44-year Landsat data collection—and each day Landsat 8 adds another ~700 new scenes.

 

Landsat 9, like Landsat 8, will be both radiometrically and geometrically better than earlier generation Landsats.

 

NASA Landsat Science

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Status update for OSIRIS-REx which launched in September.

 

Quote

NASA’s first mission to return a sample of an asteroid to Earth will be multitasking during its two-year outbound cruise to the asteroid Bennu. On Feb. 9-20, the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security– Regolith Explorer) spacecraft will activate its onboard camera suite and commence a search for elusive “Trojan” asteroids.

 

Trojans are asteroids that are constant companions to planets in our solar system as they orbit the sun, remaining near a stable point 60 degrees in front of or behind the planet. Because they constantly lead or follow in the same orbit, they will never collide with their companion planet.

 

There are six planets in our solar system with known Trojan asteroids—Jupiter, Neptune, Mars, Venus, Uranus and, yes, even Earth. The Earth Trojan is elusive; to date, scientists have only discovered one Earth trojan asteroid -- 2010 TK7  -- found by NASA’s NEOWISE project in 2010. Yet there are more than 6,000 known Trojans that are co-orbiting the sun with the gas giant Jupiter.

 

Scientists predict that there should be more Trojans sharing Earth’s orbit, but these asteroids are difficult to detect from Earth because they appear close to the sun from Earth's point of view. In mid-February 2017, however, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will be positioned in an ideal spot to undertake a survey.

 

Over 12 days, the OSIRIS-REx Earth-Trojan asteroid search will employ the spacecraft’s MapCam imager to methodically scan the space where Earth Trojans are expected to exist.  Many of these observations will closely resemble MapCam’s planned activities during its upcoming search for satellites of asteroid Bennu, so the Trojan asteroid search serves as an early rehearsal for the mission's primary science operations.

 

“The Earth-Trojan asteroid search provides a substantial advantage to the OSIRIS-REx mission,” said OSIRIS-REx Principal Investigator Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson. “Not only do we have the opportunity to discover new members of an asteroid class, but more importantly, we are practicing critical mission operations in advance of our arrival at Bennu, which ultimately reduces mission risk.”

 

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is currently on a seven-year journey to rendezvous with, study, and bring a sample of Bennu to Earth. This sample of a primitive asteroid will help scientists understand the formation of our solar system more than 4.5 billion years ago.

 

 

NASA

 

 

Juno has completed its latest Jupiter flyby

 

Quote

NASA's Juno mission completed a close flyby of Jupiter on Sunday, Dec. 11, its latest science orbit of the mission.

 

Seven instruments and the spacecraft’s JunoCam were operating during the flyby to collect data that is now being returned to Earth. Juno is currently in a 53-day orbit, and its next close flyby of Jupiter will occur on Feb. 2, 2017.

 

On Sunday, Dec. 11, at 9:04 a.m. PST (12:04 p.m. EST, 17:04 UTC) NASA’s Juno spacecraft will make its third flyby over Jupiter’s mysterious cloud tops.

 

At the time of closest approach (called perijove), Juno will be about 2,580 miles (4,150 kilometers) above the gas giant’s roiling cloud tops and traveling at a speed of about 129,000 mph (57.8 kilometers per second) relative to the planet. Seven of Juno’s eight science instruments will be on and collecting data during the flyby.

 

"This will be the first time we are planning to operate the full Juno capability to investigate Jupiter's interior structure via its gravity field,” said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. “We are looking forward to what Jupiter’s gravity may reveal about the gas giant's past and its future.”

 

Mission managers have decided not to collect data with the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument during the December flyby, to allow the team to complete an update to the spacecraft software that processes JIRAM’s science data. A software patch allowing JIRAM’s operation is expected to be available prior to the next perijove pass on Feb. 2, 2017.

 

The spacecraft team continues to weigh its options regarding modifications of Juno’s orbital period -- how long it takes for the spacecraft to complete one orbit around Jupiter. At present, Juno’s orbital period is 53.4 days. There had been plans to perform a period reduction maneuver with the spacecraft’s main engine on Oct. 19 to reduce the orbital period to 14 days. The team made the decision to forgo the maneuver in order to further study the performance of a set of valves that are part of the spacecraft's fuel pressurization system.

 

"We have a healthy spacecraft that is performing its mission admirably, and we are able to obtain great science every time we fly by,” said Rick Nybakken, project manager for Juno from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “What we do not want to do is add any unnecessary risk, so we are moving forward carefully.”

 

The Juno spacecraft launched on Aug. 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016. During its mission of exploration, Juno soars low over the planet's cloud tops -- as close as about 2,600 miles (4,100 kilometers). During these flybys, Juno will probe beneath the obscuring cloud cover of Jupiter and study its auroras to learn more about the planet's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

NASA

 

 

NASA has rescheduled the launch of its Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System for 14 December with the launch window opening at 0820 EST.   The launch vehicle is the air launched Pegasus XL Rocket.

 

Quote

NASA is rescheduling the launch of its Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) spacecraft for no earlier than Wednesday, Dec. 14, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, during a one-hour window that opens at 8:20 a.m. EST.

 

Live launch commentary will begin at 7 a.m. from nearby NASA Kennedy Space Center, and carried live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. A prelaunch program by NASA EDGE will begin at 6 a.m.

 

CYGNSS will take off aboard an Orbital Sciences ATK air-launched Pegasus XL launch vehicle. The rocket is scheduled for deployment at 8:25 a.m. over the Atlantic Ocean from Orbital’s L-1011 carrier aircraft.

 

Monday’s launch was aborted due to an issue with the launch vehicle release system on the L-1011 Stargazer. A hydraulic system operates the mechanism that releases the Pegasus rocket from the carrier aircraft. The hydraulic system functioned properly during the pre-flight checks of the airplane.

 

The current targeted Wednesday launch time will allow for a replacement L-1011 carrier aircraft component to arrive from Mojave, California, and be installed, as well as support the required crew rest requirements.

 

Once in orbit, CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the lifecycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The CYGNSS constellation consists of eight microsatellite observatories that will measure surface winds in and near a hurricane’s inner core, including regions beneath the eyewall and intense inner rainbands that previously could not be measured from space.

 

Live coverage also will be available on social media at:

http://www.twitter.com/NASAKennedy

https://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Launch of the Pegasus XL was delayed until tomorrow (Thurs) due to an issue during routine testing.  It is now scheduled for 0826 EST.

Quote

NASA managers have given a GO for the next attempt to launch of the agency’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission now scheduled for Thursday at 8:26 a.m. EST.

 

Mission personnel uploaded new flight parameter data to the CYGNSS spacecraft this morning, correcting an issue discovered during routine testing on Tuesday. There is no change in status of the Pegasus XL rocket and the Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer carrier aircraft. Both also are ready to fly.

Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron are predicting an 80 percent chance of favorable weather for the launch.

 

The CYGNSS spacecraft will ride into orbit aboard an Orbital ATK air-launched Pegasus XL rocket. Orbital ATK’s modified L-1011 aircraft will deploy the Pegasus XL and its CYGNSS payload from an altitude of approximately 39,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean 110 nautical miles east southeast of Daytona Beach.

 

During the two-year mission, the eight CYGNSS microsatellites will fly in formation about 316 miles above Earth’s surface, focusing on the tropics and studying wind speeds and intensification of tropical cyclones such as hurricanes.

 

Live updates from the countdown will begin at 7 a.m. here on the blog and on NASA Television. NASA EDGE will provide prelaunch coverage beginning at 6 a.m.

NASA

 

Next up....EchoStar 19 on December 18th aboard an ULA Atlas 5...scheduled liftoff at 1327 EST.

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Video from last Thursday's launch of the CYGNSS spacecraft.

 

https://youtu.be/ltTar3RnQuQ

 

 

 

Plane takeoff at 12:00

Rocket launched at 1:12:00

Plane touchdown at 1:45:30

 

Next up - Atlas 5 - EchoStar 19 launch at Cape Canaveral today @ 1327 EST

 

Couple of more launches upcoming...

 

Dec. 20 - Epsilon • ERG

Launch window: 1100-1200 GMT (6:00-7:00 a.m. EST)
Launch site: Uchinoura Space Center, Japan

Japan’s Epsilon rocket will launch JAXA’s Exploration of Energization and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) satellite to investigate the Van Allen radiation belts and study the origins of geomagnetic storms. This launch will be the second flight of Japan’s small Epsilon launch vehicle

 

Dec. 21 - Long March 2D • TanSat

Launch window: TBD
Launch site: Jiuquan, China

A Chinese Long March 2D rocket will launch the TanSat spacecraft to map the global distribution of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere and support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Delayed from Dec. 19

 

Dec. 21 - Ariane 5 • Star One D1 & JCSAT 15

Launch window: 2030-2145 GMT (3:30-4:45 p.m. EST)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana

Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA234, to launch the Star One D1 and JCSAT 15 communications satellites. The Star One D1 satellite will provide television, Internet, corporate network and cellular backhaul services over Latin America for Embratel Star One of Brazil. JCSAT 15 will broadcast pay television programming over Japan for SKY Perfect JSAT Corp. Delayed from Dec. 20.

 

Edit:  hmmm...YouTube videos do not embed now?

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Just a few minutes away from launch ... ULA launch director has given the final approval to resume the countdown.

 

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

HOLD due to the indication of a problem.  

 

Flight is being safed and recycled to T-4 minute mark and holding while issue is diagnosed.

 

Edit:  Liftoff will occur no sooner than 1347 EST.  They are still working the issue.

 

Edit 2:  New launch not yet set.  EchoStar 19 is back on external power.

 

Edit 3:  Issue has been isolated now working on resolution

 

Edit 4:  Resolution has been prepared.  They will manually monitor four red line parameters and disable computer control of them

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Liftoff has been rescheduled for 1413 EST ... about 10 minutes from now.

 

Edit:  Polling has been complete and vehicle is "go" for launch.

 

Update:

...and Liftoff!