LCROSS Launch Update

[MoonThumper]

The launch of the U.S. military’s Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) mission
was scrubbed last night due to a leak in the Centaur upper stage
oxidizer valve. The launch vehicle is to be transported back to the
adjacent Vertical Integration Facility for repairs. This is all taking
place at Canaveral’s Launch Complex 41, from which LRO and LCROSS are
currently scheduled to launch on May 21. WGS is the mission
immediately preceding LRO/LCROSS for launch from this location. No new
date for the WGS launch has been set yet. It is therefore too early to
estimate if or by how much the latest WGS delay may impact our launch
schedule. We have a block of several days in late May on which we
could launch; after that we could take advantage of multiple launch
opportunities in June. I’ll make another post here when we know more.

Brian Day

[valmirmmorais]

Report to launch the LCROSS mission: March 24, 2009 update

Mission: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and
Sensing Satellite (LRO/LCROSS)
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V
Launch Pad: Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Date: May 21, 2009
Launch Time: 5:32 - 6:32 p.m. EDT

NASA now is targeting May 21 for the launch of LRO/LCROSS instead of
May 20 to optimize mission science.

Last week, the LRO spacecraft team successfully completed tests of the
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera and performed a Mini-Radio
Frequency Comprehensive Performance Test. A black light cleanliness
inspection also was done.


Previous status reports are available at:

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

Regards,

Valmir Martins de Morais

Estação Astronômica PieGise
Latitude = 07º 12' 27.378" S
Longitude= 39º 18' 48.586" W
Altitude = 400,2 mts.
Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará - Brasil