Discovery is scheduled to receive the replacement Flow Control Valves (FCVs) over the weekend, ahead of a key flight rationale meeting at the Agency level Flight Readiness Review (FRR) next week. Meanwhile, a small bird managed to find its way into the Payload Bay of Endeavour.
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Russia has launched its third satellite on a program for the study of the Sun and solar-terrestrial physics. The launch of Koronas-Foton took place at 13:30 UTC from the GIK-1 Plesetsk Cosmodrome, in Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km North of Moscow. This was the last launch of the venerable 11K68 Tsyklon-3 rocket.
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With Discovery now in the final two week stretch before launch on STS-119, the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) has reviewed many critical aspects of Discovery’s upcoming flight, including rendezvous options with the International Space Station (ISS), the mission’s flight design and dynamics, and the associated Launch On Need (LON) mission which would be supported by Endeavour.
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Discovery remains on track for her February 12 launch, pending the successful replacement, testing and flight rationale for the spare three Flow Control Valves (FCVs), due to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. Discovery is ready to accept the valves, as the vehicle continues the process of closeouts for flight.
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NASA managers have approved funding elements to allow for a plan to leave the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) as a permanent fixture on the International Space Station (ISS). The 50 foot robotic arm would be used as a EVA crew platform for maintenance activities by ISS crewmembers.
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Following a run of “clean” flights during 2008 – thanks to continued progress in reducing foam liberation from the External Tanks – the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Flight Readiness Review (FRR) focused on the threat of ice liberation during ascent for 2009′s opening mission, STS-119. This follows a near miss with a large piece of [...]
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With Space Shuttle Discovery enjoying a smooth and relatively issue free processing flow at Launch Pad 39A, NASA managers have completed two of the three mandatory Flight Readiness Reviews (FRRs) that will clear Discovery and her seven member crew for launch in mid February.
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Japan has launched a satellite that will be used to observe the concentration distribution of greenhouse gases from space. The launch of the Ibuki satellite (also known by GOSAT – Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite) took place on January 23 at 03:54 UTC from the LP1 launch platform of the Yoshinubo launch complex on Tanegashima.
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The Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Flight Readiness Review (FRR) concluded the key milestone meeting for the STS-119 mission, set to launch on February 12. The replacement of Discovery’s Flow Control Valves (FCVs) is the one constraint to flight. STS-119 is also set to carry spares for the failed hardware in the Urine and Water Processing [...]
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With Space Shuttle Endeavour now well into her OPF (Orbiter Processing Facility) flow for her triple duty requirements as LON (Launch On Need) vehicle for STS-119 and STS-125 and her primary mission on STS-127, the Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) has completed the Delta Launch Site Requirements Review (DLSRR) for STS-127, a critical step toward [...]
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Managers are closing in on facilitating a July launch date for Ares I-X, via a Single Pad option for STS-125′s mission to service Hubble and the supporting STS-400 LON (Launch On Need) shuttle. The plan would free up Pad 39B for transition to Constellation, but likely delay STS-125 by a few weeks as a result.
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After three years of delays, United Launch Alliance have launched the third Delta IV Heavy, carrying the classified NRO L-26 satellite for the US National Reconnaissance Office. The rocket finally launched liftoff from Launch Complex 37B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, at 02:47 GMT (21:47 local time), following the resolution of a number of [...]
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The giant S6 integrated truss segment is set to be installed into Discovery’s payload bay over the weekend, as the shuttle continues to press through the opening stages of the S0009 pad flow. Meanwhile, the Flow Control Valve (FCV) issue has been classed as the only constraint to launch, as engineers work through flight rationale ahead [...]
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PlanetSpace Inc – which lost out on NASA’s 3.5 billion dollar Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract – have filed an official protest. Last month, SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp) and Orbital were awarded the contract to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) during the transition between Shuttle and Orion.
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Shuttle Discovery has completed her three mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Pad 39A, as preparations for STS-119 start to ramp up for the February 12 launch target – which includes the building of flight rationale for the three replacement Flow Control Valves (FCVs) that will be installed into Discovery.
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Shuttle Discovery has departed from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at 5am Wednesday morning, for a dawn crawl to Pad 39A ahead of STS-119′s launch next month. There she will join her payload, which has been installed into the Payload Changeout Room (PCR).
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SpaceX chief Elon Musk has spoke of his desire to make Falcon 9 the first fully reusable launch vehicle, which he would “love” to include a flyback first stage. Musk also noted he is aiming for Falcon 9 to launch in under 60 minutes from the moment they leave their hangers.
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Shuttle Discovery as the STS-119 stack will undergo the Shuttle Interface Test (S0008) on Sunday, although engineers had to work through issues with the mating of the orbiter/ET umbilicals – which have since been resolved.
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Mating operations have moved past the soft mate phase inside the Vehicle Assembly Facility (VAB), following Discovery’s milestone of rollover ahead of next month’s STS-119. The main issue under discussion is the need to replace the orbiter’s three Flow Control Valve (FCV) which will be carried out at Pad 39A after next week’s rollout.
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Veteran orbiter Discovery has arrived in the Vehicle Assembly Facility (VAB) ahead of her February launch of STS-119. The short trip was slightly delayed, following a late requirement to changeout a tire on the orbiter.
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