News Upcoming Rocket Launches

[DaveS]

Are there any data on the mission profile and, perhaps, pictures from the site?

Mission profile: No. This is a launch for the National Reconnaisance Office(NRO) and all NRO launches are classified. The launch and the rest of the mission will enter a news blackout after fairing sep which means no more updates on the launch and mission will become available.

And no photos whatsoever of the payload. Nobody outside NRO and the Air Force knows exactly what kind of satellite this is and most is just guesses.

 

[simonpro]

The launch will place the vehicle into geostationary orbit. Data will be publically available as to the mission profile and (probable) satellite type within a day or so of launch.

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

Scrubbed again. This one seems to be tricky to get off the pad.

Mission managers have decided to postpone today’s launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy with a National Reconnaissance Office payload. More information on a launch date and time will be released when available.

Edit: Date/Launch Time/Site: Jan. 17, with a launch window of 7:33-11:33 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex-37, Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla.

 

[SiberianTiger]

IBUKI sat atop H-IIA off Tanegashima, Jan. 22, 2008

I have a feeling that Japanese space missions launches are left a bit orphaned on this forum...

So,
(I love the way the Japanese have everything accessible in one place)
http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f15/index_e.html

Scheduled date of launch :
January 23 (Friday,) 2009 (Japan Standard Time, JST)
Launch time :
Between 12:54 and 1:16 p.m. (JST)
.. 9:54 and 10:16 UTC

n order to promote preventive measures for global warming that are adopted by countries all over the world, it is imperative to learn the behavior of greenhouse gases that cause global warming on earth. The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite "IBUKI" (GOSAT) is a collaborative project by JAXA, the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES,) and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) to provide the world's first satellite to observe global greenhouse gasses from space. Data acquired by the "IBUKI" will be utilized to learn the "current" status of the earth concerning global warming and to contribute to a better future for all mankind.

IBUKI promotional video link: mms://jda-str.tksc.jaxa.jp/jda/GOSAT_PR_e.wmv

IBUKI Injection Orbit

Sun-synchronous subrecurrent orbit at a perigee altitude of 667 km, apogee altitude of 683 km, and inclination of 98.0 degrees

The launch vehicle:

The H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 15 is a "H2A202" model with two solid rocket boosters (SRBs). The fairing design is 4S (4 meters in diameter.) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is in charge of the launch service of the H-IIA.

Piggyback payloads

Seven baby satellites, six small satellites selected through public tender and one JAXA small satellite, are scheduled to be launched by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 15 with the "IBUKI."

"KAGAYAKI"
SORUN CORPORATION
The aim of the project is to connect the dreams of disabled children with space.
Small satellite "KAGAYAKI" official website

"STARS"
Kagawa University
This aims to conduct a tether space robot technology demonstration.
Kagawa satellite development project, STARS

"KKS-1"
Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology
The goal is to perform a demonstration of the micro cluster and three axis attitude control functions.
KKS-1 project

"PRISM"
The University of Tokyo
This satellite will conduct an experiment on earth image acquisition by using an expandable refracting telescope.
The University of Tokyo ISSL PRISM Project Site

"SOHLA-1"
ASTRO TECHNOLOGY SOHLA
This will contribute to more vibrant activities for local industries.
It will measure thunder and lightening.
AstroTechnology SOHLA (Japanese only)

"SPRITE-SAT"
Tohoku University
The project will observe the sprite phenomenon and gamma radiation of the earth's origin.
Tohoku University SPRITE-SAT

Small Demonstration Satellite-1 (SDS-1)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
This satellite has a multi-mode integrated transponder.
It will carry out on-orbit verification of the space wire demonstration module. On-orbit verification of a cutting-edge micro processor will also be performed.
http://www.jaxa.jp/pr/brochure/pdf/04/sat26.pdf

 

[tblaxland]

There are some pretty cool piggyback payloads on board, especially PRISM. 10m surface resolution photos from LEO from a box just 19cm*19cm*30cm!

 

[C3PO]

There are some pretty cool piggyback payloads on board, especially PRISM. 10m surface resolution photos from LEO from a box just 19cm*19cm*30cm!

Very cool indeed. Those are excellent candidates for DGIV/XR(x)-payloads.

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/01/20090123_h2a-f15_e.html

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite "IBUKI" (GOSAT) aboard the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 15 (H-IIA F15) at 12:54:00 p.m. on January, 23, 2009 (Japan Standard Time, JST) from the Tanegashima Space Center.

The launch vehicle flew smoothly, and, at about 16 minutes after liftoff, the separation of the IBUKI was confirmed.

 

[tblaxland]

NOAA-N Prime finally makes it to the launch pad:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=27436

Launch from Vandenberg is scheduled for 2:22-2:32 PST (10:22-10:32 UTC).

Background on the NOAA-N Prime mishap:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=10299

 

[SiberianTiger]

It looks like this mission has gone bust: according to an unnamed source, a self-destruct explosive has been set off to demolish the secret instruments aboard the Cosmos-2441 roughly at 12 a.m. October 1, 2008.

So much for our funds: the MOD will want another spacecraft.

http://www.rg.ru/2009/02/11/sputnik.html

According to the Rossiyskaya Gazeta (a Russian government daily newspaper which publishes the official decrees, statements and documents of state bodies), Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov (a former Minister of Defence) acknowledged during a recent Roscosmos board session that the Cosmos-2441 was indeed lost upon entering orbit because of onboard electronics fatal malfunction.

It was going to become a new generation reconnaissance spacecraft comparable in performance with US' Crystal satellites and last no less than 7 years of service.

The root of the problem, according to Ivanov, was diverting of the primary contractor (Samara Space Centre) to services of private electronics suppliers who can easily offer mediocre home-built device components.

According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta's sources, the estimated cost of the Persona satellite's development was about 5 billion roubles (which, by the last midyear's rate is about $185,000,000).

 

[tblaxland]

OCO to join the A-Train

Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO):

Launch time: 2009-02-23 09:50-09:57 UTC (04:50-04:57 EST; 01:50-01:57 local)
Launch site: SLC 576-E, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Launch vehicle: Orbital Sciences Taurus-XL
Target Orbit: 690km sun-synchronous (in the A-Train)

More info:
http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov/

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) is a NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder Project (ESSP) mission designed to make precise, time-dependent global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from an Earth orbiting satellite.

Even has an Australian component :speakcool::
http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov/news/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=6

 

[MajorTom]

Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO):

Launch time: 2009-02-23 09:50-09:57 UTC (04:50-04:57 EST; 01:50-01:57 local)
Launch site: SLC 576-E, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Launch vehicle: Orbital Sciences Taurus-XL
Target Orbit: 690km sun-synchronous (in the A-Train)

More info:
http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov/
Even has an Australian component :speakcool::
http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov/news/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=6

Argh, so close! They could have called it Carbon Observatory - Orbiting (CO2):rofl:

Edit: although I'm sure they chose "O-C-O" for that reason.

 

[tblaxland]

Argh, so close! They could have called it Carbon Observatory - Orbiting (CO2):rofl:

Edit: although I'm sure they chose "O-C-O" for that reason.

Yeah, though O=C=O is a more accurate description

Anyway, the launch has been delayed to Feb 24. New launch time:

2009-02-24 09:51:30 UTC (04:51:30 EST; 01:51:30 local)

Launch coverage begins on NASA TV at 08:00 GMT (03:00 EST).

 

[tblaxland]

Some nice OCO integration photos here:
http://spaceflightnow.com/taurus/oco/preflight/

It seems so strange to see a rocket on the pad without all the usual umbilicals found on liquid rockets:

-----Post Added-----

Weather forecasters are predicting a 100[%] chance that conditions will allow an Orbital Sciences Taurus rocket to launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory from California early Tuesday morning.

http://spaceflightnow.com/taurus/oco/status.html

That's confidence with a capital C!

 

[DaveS]

Today's launch of OCO has failed. The payload fairing did not separate. The Launch Team is now following contigency procedures.


-----Post Added-----


A press conference is set for sometime after 7 am EST(1200 UTC) to bring more details. For now all that is known is that the payload fairing that covers the the OCO spacecraft failed to separate during launch and the spacecraft will now slowly die when the batteries run out.

 

[tl8]

Thread Continued Here: http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=7062

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Saw this thread was a little outdated, so I thought I'd update it with something I came across earlier:

Spaceflight Now's Worldwide Launch Schedule.