NOTE: This expendable vehicle and deployable payload status will be issued weekly. It will provide status of each NASA mission scheduled for launch aboard an expendable launch vehicle. For additional information on NASA EL launches visit: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/schedule/mixfleet.htm STATUS REPORT EXPENDABLE VEHICLES AND DEPLOYABLE PAYLOADS June 19, 2001 Kennedy Space Center contact: George H. Diller MISSION: High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) LAUNCH VEHICLE: Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL Current Location: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip Launch Date: TBD The launch of NASA's HESSI spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences air-launched Pegasus XL vehicle has been postponed. NASA's Expendable Vehicle Program Office at the Kennedy Space Center has concluded that it would be prudent to wait until the X-43 failure board has released preliminary results and findings. This decision was reached in consultation with the Explorer Project at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. Once the failure review board has completed its analysis, the conclusions can be evaluated to determine if any aspects are relevant to the Pegasus/HESSI vehicle. A final engineering review will begin at that time after which a launch date can be established. The Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft carrying the Pegasus/HESSI vehicle will return to Vandenberg Air Force Base at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 21. MISSION: MAP (Microwave Anistropy Probe) LAUNCH VEHICLE: Boeing Delta II 7425 -10 LAUNCH PAD: 17-B LAUNCH DATE: June 30 3:46 p.m. EDT At the Spacecraft and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2), the MAP Spacecraft was installed into its transportation canister yesterday. Today it was moved to Pad B at Space Launch Complex 17and erected atop the vehicle. A charging of the spacecraft batteries will begin later today. On Wednesday, June 20, the first of two spacecraft functional checks planned to occur at the launch pad will be performed. On June 26, the payload fairing will be installed around the spacecraft. This will be followed on June 27 by spacecraft functional test No. 2. The Delta rocket will then be loaded with its storable hypergolic propellant on June 28. MISSION: GOES-M (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) LAUNCH VEHICLE: Lockheed Martin ATLAS IIA LAUNCH PAD: 36-A LAUNCH DATE: JULY 15 At the Astrotech commercial payload processing facility in Titusville, GOES-M has completed processing and been fueled with hypergolic propellant. The spacecraft is in "dwell" until the encapsulation into the Atlas payload fairing scheduled to occur at Astrotech on July 2. GOES-M is scheduled to be moved to Pad A at Launch Complex 36 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on July 6. The Atlas IIA vehicle was erected on the pad during the last week of May. MISSION: Genesis LAUNCH VEHICLE: DELTA II 7326 LAUNCH PAD: 17-A LAUNCH DATE: July 30 On Friday, June 15, the spacecraft solar arrays were folded and stowed for flight and the associated retention and release mechanism was installed. The spacecraft was rotated to the vertical position on Monday. Closeouts on the spacecraft return capsule are beginning and a second spacecraft functional test is scheduled for this week. Loading of hypergolic fuel is tentatively scheduled for Friday. At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at Space Launch Complex 17, the Delta II launch vehicle was erected on Pad A last week. The payload fairing will be hoisted into the pad's spacecraft clean room facility on Wednesday. MISSION: Kodiak Star LAUNCH VEHICLE: Athena I LAUNCH PAD: Kodiak Launch Complex, Alaska LAUNCH DATE: August 31 At the Kodiak Launch Complex, prelaunch preparations are on schedule. The Athena first stage was erected on the pad May 29. The second stage was erected on June 12. The Orbit Adjust Module, the stage that trims the orbit after the burn of the second stage, was erected on June 19. The Starshine spacecraft is currently scheduled to arrive in Kodiak on July 25. The three Department of Defense payloads are expected to arrive in late July and early August. Launch remains targeted for August 31 at 5 p.m. Alaska time.