Deep Impact Update
December 22, 2004
George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(321) 867-2468
STATUS REPORT: ELV-122204
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES STATUS REPORT
MISSION: Deep Impact
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II 7925
LAUNCH PAD: Pad 17-B Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE: Jan. 12, 2005
LAUNCH WINDOW: 1:08:20 p.m. and 1:48:04 p.m. EST instantaneous
The launch of the Deep Impact spacecraft has been officially rescheduled on the Eastern Range for Jan. 12. There are two instantaneous launch opportunities that day, at 1:08:20 p.m. and 1:48:04 p.m. EST.
Work to remove and replace the Delta II inter-stage adapter has been completed. The second stage was removed from the vehicle on Dec. 15, the inter-stage adapter removed on Dec. 16, a new inter-stage adapter installed on Dec. 17, and the second stage re-installed on Dec. 18.
In Deep Impact processing activities at the Astrotech Space Operations facility located near Kennedy Space Center, the hydrazine fueling operations began on Monday, Dec. 19, and are being completed today. The solar arrays will be stowed for flight on Dec. 28 and the spacecraft will be weighed. Mating to the payload attach fitting and upper stage booster occurs Dec. 29-30.
At Launch Pad 17-B, the next major launch vehicle milestone is the guidance and control system check that occurs Dec. 28. The Flight Simulation, a plus count that exercises all of the systems on the vehicle as they will occur during powered flight, is scheduled for Dec. 29.
The Deep Impact spacecraft is scheduled to be transported to Pad 17-B on Jan. 3 and mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket. The Flight Program Verification, the major integrated test with the Delta II, occurs on Dec. 30. The Delta II payload fairing will be installed around the Deep Impact spacecraft on Jan. 7.
The overall Deep Impact mission management for this Discovery class program is conducted by the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. Deep Impact project management is handled by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The spacecraft was built for NASA by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation.
