New Horizons ready for launch
Posted: Mon, Jan 16, 2006, 7:10 AM ET (1210 GMT)
All systems are go for Tuesday's launch of NASA's New Horizons mission to the distant planet Pluto, project officials said Sunday. An Atlas 5 is scheduled to launch the 465-kilogram spacecraft Tuesday at 1:24 pm EST (1824 GMT), at the beginning of a two-hour launch window. The mission passed its final pre-launch review on Sunday, and the launch vehicle will be rolled out to the pad Monday morning. Officials said that there are no problems with the fuel tank of the Atlas 5's first stage after inspections that delayed the launch six days. The inspections were prompted after a similar tank failed a qualification test at the factory; that tank was subjected to forces far more severe than what the tank on this rocket will be exposed to. New Horizons will be the fastest spacecraft ever to leave Earth upon launch, and will fly past Jupiter in early 2007. The spacecraft will fly past Pluto in mid-2015, after which project scientists hope to have the spacecraft fly past one or more Kuiper Belt objects.
All systems are go for Tuesday's launch of NASA's New Horizons mission to the distant planet Pluto, project officials said Sunday. An Atlas 5 is scheduled to launch the 465-kilogram spacecraft Tuesday at 1:24 pm EST (1824 GMT), at the beginning of a two-hour launch window. The mission passed its final pre-launch review on Sunday, and the launch vehicle will be rolled out to the pad Monday morning. Officials said that there are no problems with the fuel tank of the Atlas 5's first stage after inspections that delayed the launch six days. The inspections were prompted after a similar tank failed a qualification test at the factory; that tank was subjected to forces far more severe than what the tank on this rocket will be exposed to. New Horizons will be the fastest spacecraft ever to leave Earth upon launch, and will fly past Jupiter in early 2007. The spacecraft will fly past Pluto in mid-2015, after which project scientists hope to have the spacecraft fly past one or more Kuiper Belt objects.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
NASA releases report on Starliner crewed test flight problems
Posted: Sun, Feb 22 11:45 AM ET (1645 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, February 22
Exolaunch Successfully Integrates Five Satellites with 'Spectrum' launch vehicle Ahead of Second Isar Aerospace Launch, A Landmark Mission for European and German Launch Sovereignty
Exolaunch — 5:51 pm ET (2251 GMT) Sateliot and PLD Space sign first commercial contract for a dedicated launch of two Tritó satellites with MIURA 5
PLD Space — 5:49 pm ET (2249 GMT) What cold-water geysers on Earth reveal about the habitability of ocean worlds
PSI — 5:48 pm ET (2248 GMT) AAC Clyde Space ships VIREON satellites for launch
AAC Clyde Space — 5:48 pm ET (2248 GMT) Crosshill Joins as Space ISAC Member
Space ISAC — 5:43 pm ET (2243 GMT) |
