George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
george.h.diller@nasa.gov

STATUS REPORT: ELV-051509

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

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: No earlier than June 17, 2009
Launch Window: TBD

NASA decided to move the LRO/LCROSS from a June 2 window to a June 17
window so as to allow the LCROSS team additional time to mitigate a
potential thrust disturbance associated with the Atlas V Centaur
fill/drain valves. The Centaur is being used in a way that has never
been done before. While the Centaur hardware is designed and built to
reliably perform its purpose of launching spacecraft, LCROSS is using
the spent Centaur as a lunar impactor. This reuse has posed technical
challenges which the LCROSS team has had to address.

At Launch Complex 41, the Atlas V launch vehicle was rolled from the
Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad in preparation for
the wet dress rehearsal that is under way today. The Atlas V is being
fully loaded with propellants including liquid hydrogen, liquid
oxygen and RP-1 fuel. The launch vehicle will be rolled off the pad
and returned to the Vertical Integration Facility on Saturday, May
16.

At the Astrotech payload processing facility, LRO/LCROSS is being
encapsulated into the Atlas V payload fairing today. The spacecraft
will be moved to the launch pad for integration with the Atlas V no
earlier than May 21.



Mission: Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-O)
Launch Vehicle: Delta IV
Launch Pad: Launch Complex 37, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Date: June 2009
Launch Window: TBD

On the Delta IV at Launch Complex 37, the three linear shape charges
which are to be modified have been removed from the rocket.
Meanwhile, data from the second wet dress rehearsal and the flight
program verification that followed are undergoing the customary
review. However, there appear to be no significant concerns.

At the Astrotech Space Operations Facility, the GOES-O spacecraft is
enclosed in the payload fairing. The spacecraft remains in excellent
health and is ready to be moved to the launch pad on June 6.

NASA has contracted with Boeing to build and launch the GOES-O
spacecraft. The NASA Launch Services Program at Kennedy is supporting
the launch in an advisory role. NASA spacecraft project management
for GOES-O is the responsibility of NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center. After launch, once Boeing and NASA have completed on-orbit
checkout and the spacecraft is operational, it will be turned over to
NOAA.



Previous status reports are available at:

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