More concrete progress in putting together components for the Vulcan VC2S rocket that will conduct the Vulcan rocket's long awaited maiden launch.
At last, components for the first Vulcan rocket are beginning to be brought to the launch pad, with the payload waiting to be brought to the launch facility for installation atop the upper stage.
Quote from: Vahe231991 on 01/25/2023 04:53 pmAt last, components for the first Vulcan rocket are beginning to be brought to the launch pad, with the payload waiting to be brought to the launch facility for installation atop the upper stage.No, the payload isn't waiting. It has yet to be shipped to the launch site.
Astrobotic announced today that its Peregrine lunar lander has successfully completed its entire flight acceptance campaign. Peregrine is now ready to be shipped to Cape Canaveral, Florida when Astrobotic’s rocket provider, United Launch Alliance (ULA), gives the green light to receive it
QuoteAstrobotic announced today that its Peregrine lunar lander has successfully completed its entire flight acceptance campaign. Peregrine is now ready to be shipped to Cape Canaveral, Florida when Astrobotic’s rocket provider, United Launch Alliance (ULA), gives the green light to receive it
Quote from: deadman1204 on 01/31/2023 03:56 pmQuote from: Jim on 01/31/2023 03:22 pmQuote from: Vahe231991 on 01/25/2023 04:53 pmAt last, components for the first Vulcan rocket are beginning to be brought to the launch pad, with the payload waiting to be brought to the launch facility for installation atop the upper stage.No, the payload isn't waiting. It has yet to be shipped to the launch site.Aren't both sides playing schedule chicken? ULA has been saying they are about to launch for a few months, and Peragrine doesn't actually have its engines yet?One of Astrobotic's engineers told us that several (didn't give a number) of Peregrine's five engines have been installed. I didn't want to push him to say when the remaining engines will be installed. But he did say that Astrobotic chose not to do an all-up test of the engines for cost reasons. Presumably that would have been done at the company's Mojave facility (former Masten?). Have any of the other CLPS contractors performed all-up engine tests yet? I hope Astrobotic's decision doesn't come back to haunt them.
Quote from: Jim on 01/31/2023 03:22 pmQuote from: Vahe231991 on 01/25/2023 04:53 pmAt last, components for the first Vulcan rocket are beginning to be brought to the launch pad, with the payload waiting to be brought to the launch facility for installation atop the upper stage.No, the payload isn't waiting. It has yet to be shipped to the launch site.Aren't both sides playing schedule chicken? ULA has been saying they are about to launch for a few months, and Peragrine doesn't actually have its engines yet?
Nice looking Interstage. #CountdowntoVulcan
Here’s the best view out here. #CountdowntoVulcan
This just in - Peregrine is now heading to just outside the Gruithuisen Domes, a geologic enigma. 🕵️♀️ Read more from @NASA CLPS here:
New Landing Site Will Upgrade Science Returns for Astrobotic FlightThrough the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, NASA is working with American companies to deliver scientific, exploration, and technology payloads to the Moon’s surface and orbit. The science investigations and technology demonstrations delivered to the lunar surface through CLPS are part of the agency’s broader goal of returning humans to the Moon through Artemis, and the success of CLPS could help further establish American leadership in the global and commercial space industries. Astrobotic’s first orders for scientific payload delivery were awarded in May 2019. Astrobotic will deliver NASA payloads on its first flight to the lunar surface using the company’s Peregrine lunar lander. These NASA payloads will investigate specific aspects in and around the landing site. Astrobotic also will carry some non-NASA payloads from other organizations.The original landing site for Astrobotic’s flight within Lacus Mortis, which is in the northeast quadrant of the lunar nearside of the Moon, was chosen by Astrobotic to suit its lander performance and safety, as well as Astrobotic’s preferences. However, as NASA’s Artemis activities mature, it became evident the agency could increase the scientific value of the NASA payloads if they were delivered to a different location. The science and technology payloads planned for this delivery to the Moon presented NASA scientists with a valuable opportunity, prompting the relocation of the landing site to a mare – an ancient hardened lava flow – outside of the Gruithuisen Domes, a geologic enigma along the mare/highlands boundary on the northeast border of Oceanus Procellarum, or Ocean of Storms, the largest dark spot on the Moon. The Domes are suspected to have been formed by a sticky magma rich in silica, similar in composition to granite. On Earth, formations like these need significant water content and plate tectonics to form, but without these key ingredients on the Moon, lunar scientists have been left to wonder how these domes formed and evolved over time. With the selection of the Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer (Lunar-VISE), a suite of instruments that will investigate the origin and composition of the Gruithuisen Domes in 2026 on a separate CLPS delivery, relocation of Astrobotic’s Peregrine CLPS flight to a mare near the Domes will present complementary and meaningful data to Lunar-VISE without introducing additional risk to the lander.CLPS providers are responsible for managing their activities to ensure they are compliant with NASA schedule requirements. While NASA is the primary customer purchasing a flight to send its payloads to the lunar surface, CLPS vendors also work with other customers to send non-NASA payloads to the Moon. Follow along for more updates on Astrobotic’s upcoming flight in 2023 and other CLPS news!
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander, which will launch on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket and deliver NASA payloads to the Moon. Credits: Astrobotic.
The Gruithuisen Domes, seen in an image captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera.The Gruithuisen Domes, seen in an image captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. Credits: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
QuoteThis just in - Peregrine is now heading to just outside the Gruithuisen Domes, a geologic enigma. 🕵️♀️ Read more from @NASA CLPS here:
Could not help getting up close and personal with this beautiful beast from inside our brand new Vulcan Mobile Launch Platform (VLP). #CountdowntoVulcan
ULA lifted the Centaur V upper stage for integration with the Vulcan first stage at SLC-41 today!Timelapse from Space Coast Live: nsf.live/spacecoast
It looks like Vulcan's debut launch is NET May 2023. That, and more tidbits, in this look at where we are with one of the most anticipated rocket launches of the year.
Quote from: mn on 02/01/2023 03:04 amQuote from: AS_501 on 02/01/2023 12:46 amQuote from: deadman1204 on 01/31/2023 03:56 pmQuote from: Jim on 01/31/2023 03:22 pmQuote from: Vahe231991 on 01/25/2023 04:53 pmAt last, components for the first Vulcan rocket are beginning to be brought to the launch pad, with the payload waiting to be brought to the launch facility for installation atop the upper stage.No, the payload isn't waiting. It has yet to be shipped to the launch site.Aren't both sides playing schedule chicken? ULA has been saying they are about to launch for a few months, and Peragrine doesn't actually have its engines yet?One of Astrobotic's engineers told us that several (didn't give a number) of Peregrine's five engines have been installed. I didn't want to push him to say when the remaining engines will be installed. But he did say that Astrobotic chose not to do an all-up test of the engines for cost reasons. Presumably that would have been done at the company's Mojave facility (former Masten?). Have any of the other CLPS contractors performed all-up engine tests yet? I hope Astrobotic's decision doesn't come back to haunt them.So astrobiotic was lying when they said the spacecraft is ready and waiting for ULA?The truth of the matter is somewhere in the mix.
Quote from: AS_501 on 02/01/2023 12:46 amQuote from: deadman1204 on 01/31/2023 03:56 pmQuote from: Jim on 01/31/2023 03:22 pmQuote from: Vahe231991 on 01/25/2023 04:53 pmAt last, components for the first Vulcan rocket are beginning to be brought to the launch pad, with the payload waiting to be brought to the launch facility for installation atop the upper stage.No, the payload isn't waiting. It has yet to be shipped to the launch site.Aren't both sides playing schedule chicken? ULA has been saying they are about to launch for a few months, and Peragrine doesn't actually have its engines yet?One of Astrobotic's engineers told us that several (didn't give a number) of Peregrine's five engines have been installed. I didn't want to push him to say when the remaining engines will be installed. But he did say that Astrobotic chose not to do an all-up test of the engines for cost reasons. Presumably that would have been done at the company's Mojave facility (former Masten?). Have any of the other CLPS contractors performed all-up engine tests yet? I hope Astrobotic's decision doesn't come back to haunt them.So astrobiotic was lying when they said the spacecraft is ready and waiting for ULA?
This release made it sound like Astrobotic simply needed to ship the lander from Pittsburgh to the launch site, where it would be installed on the rocket. However, the lander's engines, which have been undergoing extensive testing in White Sands, New Mexico, are still not ready for flight and are not yet attached to the lander. The company plans to complete the integration of the engines onto the lander at the launch site in Florida
QuoteIt looks like Vulcan's debut launch is NET May 2023. That, and more tidbits, in this look at where we are with one of the most anticipated rocket launches of the year.
Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 02/03/2023 03:09 pmQuoteIt looks like Vulcan's debut launch is NET May 2023. That, and more tidbits, in this look at where we are with one of the most anticipated rocket launches of the year.Please help me understand. I may have this completely wrong.Apparently SLC-41 has two assembly buildings with differing capabilities: the VIF and the SPOC (formerly known as SMARF). VIF is taller and is where the payload will actually be stacked onto the rocket. The building in the picture is presumably the SPOC and is not tall enough to stack the payload. VIF is shared by Vulcan and Atlas V, and will be needed to stack Starliner onto Atlas V for the Starliner-CFT in April 2023. So how long will it take after Atlas clears the VIF before Vulcan can be moved to the VIF and stacking can begin? Must Starliner actually launch before this happens? I assume it must, they need to be able to roll Atlas V/Starliner back if there is a problem. Since this is the third Starliner flight, there will prpbably not be a problem, but other things (like the ISS schedule) may affect the Starliner launch date.
The Centaur V on its way to the top of the booster. #CountdowntoVulcan
