Ariane 5 rocket launches European cargo ship on station resupply mission
02/16/2011 06:05 PM Filed in: Space News | International Space Station
By WILLIAM HARWOOD
CBS News
Running one day late because of a minor technical snag, a powerful Ariane 5 rocket blasted off from Kourou, French Guiana, Wednesday, lofting an unmanned European Space Agency cargo ship into orbit for an automated rendezvous and docking next week with the International Space Station.
Making its 56th flight, the Ariane 5's twin solid-fuel boosters ignited with a crackling roar at 4:51:02 p.m. EST, instantly pushing the rocket away from its firing stand at the Guiana Space Center atop a rushing torrent of fiery exhaust.
Looking on from the International Space Station, Expedition 26 commander Scott Kelly and his crewmates were able to see the rocket climbing away as the lab complex sailed across South America.
Arcing away to the northeast on a trajectory tilted 51.6 degrees to the equator, the Ariane 5's solid-fuel boosters burned out and separated normally about two minutes and 19 seconds after liftoff and the rocket continued under the power of its single hydrogen-fueled first stage engine. The rocket's second stage then carried out two firings to put ESA's second Automated Transfer Vehicle into its planned preliminary orbit.
The 33-foot-long ATV-2 will fly an automated approach to the International Space Station, carrying out a series of rendezvous rocket firings to fine tune its trajectory. If all goes well, the spacecraft will dock at the Zvezda command module's aft port around 10:46 a.m. on Feb. 24.
The ATV-2 -- also known as Johannes Kepler after the German astronomer and mathematician -- is loaded with more than 3,086 pounds of dry cargo in its forward pressurized section, including 1,316 pounds of vehicle hardware, 1,402 pounds of crew supplies, 212 pounds of science equipment and another 160 pounds of spacewalk gear and laptop computers.
The cargo ship also is carrying 220 pounds of gaseous oxygen, 1,874 pounds of propellant that will be pumped aboard the space station and another 8,818 pounds of propellant for boosting the station's orbit during 101 days of docked operations. The station currently orbits at about 220 miles, but the ATV-2's engines will be used over the course of its stay to increase the altitude to about 248 miles.
Including its cargo, the 14-foot-wide ATV-2 tipped the scales at nearly 45,000 pounds, making it the heaviest payload ever launched by the European Space Agency.
A launch try Tuesday was called of four minutes before liftoff because of erroneous indications from a ground system used by the first stage liquid oxygen fueling system. Because of the station's orbit and the ATV-2's weight, flight controllers did not have the luxury of a launch window to carry out troubleshooting. The problem was quickly resolved, but launch had to be reset for Wednesday.
If all goes well, the ATV-2 will dock at the International Space Station on Feb. 24, one day later than originally planned. The linkup will occur just after engineers at the Kennedy Space Center finish loading the shuttle Discovery's external tank with rocket fuel for a planned launch that afternoon at 4:50 p.m.
NASA managers said earlier that a delay for the ATV-2 launch would result in a corresponding delay for Discovery's space station resupply mission.
But a space agency spokesman said Wednesday that flight planners are studying options for launching Discovery Feb. 24 as planned. A decision is expected during an executive-level flight readiness review Friday at the Kennedy Space Center.
The ATV, along with Russian Progress supply ships and Japan's HTV cargo carrier, will play a critical role in space station operations after NASA's space shuttle is retired this summer following a final three missions. Two U.S. companies -- SpaceX and Orbital Sciences -- also are developing unmanned cargo ships for NASA to help fill the resupply gap after the shuttle stops flying.
"In the early years, the U.S. expected the shuttle would fly for the entire life of the ISS," said Mike Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager. "With the decision to retire the shuttle and to move on to other systems for resupply, the ATV has become a critical of our capability. Whereas before it was important to have particularly the propulsion capability it carried, largely it was redundant to what shuttle could otherwise fly to ISS.
"So when the decision was made several years ago to retire the shuttle, both the ATV and the Japanese version, the HTV, became critical parts of our logistics resupply. And the vehicles we procure in the U.S. (provide) basically the balance of what is remaining after the ATV and HTV do their functions. So, in that sense, it's become critical to the well being of ISS."
The ATV is the only non-Russian spacecraft capable of transferring propellant to the space station and of using its own rocket engines to adjust the lab's orbit. During its three-and-a-half-month stay in space, the ATV-2 will be used for attitude control, to raise the station's altitude and to dodge orbital debris if necessary.
Here is a launch-to-docking timeline of the ATV-2's rendezvous with the International Space Station (in EST and mission elapsed time; dV=change in velocity; source: NASA):
CBS News
Running one day late because of a minor technical snag, a powerful Ariane 5 rocket blasted off from Kourou, French Guiana, Wednesday, lofting an unmanned European Space Agency cargo ship into orbit for an automated rendezvous and docking next week with the International Space Station.
Making its 56th flight, the Ariane 5's twin solid-fuel boosters ignited with a crackling roar at 4:51:02 p.m. EST, instantly pushing the rocket away from its firing stand at the Guiana Space Center atop a rushing torrent of fiery exhaust.
 |
| The exhaust trail of an Ariane 5 rocket carrying the European Space Agency's second Automated Transfer Vehicle is visible on the horizon as viewed from the International Space Station, which was approaching the Guiana Space Center as the cargo ship climbed toward space. (Credit: NASA/Nespoli) |
Looking on from the International Space Station, Expedition 26 commander Scott Kelly and his crewmates were able to see the rocket climbing away as the lab complex sailed across South America.
Arcing away to the northeast on a trajectory tilted 51.6 degrees to the equator, the Ariane 5's solid-fuel boosters burned out and separated normally about two minutes and 19 seconds after liftoff and the rocket continued under the power of its single hydrogen-fueled first stage engine. The rocket's second stage then carried out two firings to put ESA's second Automated Transfer Vehicle into its planned preliminary orbit.
The 33-foot-long ATV-2 will fly an automated approach to the International Space Station, carrying out a series of rendezvous rocket firings to fine tune its trajectory. If all goes well, the spacecraft will dock at the Zvezda command module's aft port around 10:46 a.m. on Feb. 24.
The ATV-2 -- also known as Johannes Kepler after the German astronomer and mathematician -- is loaded with more than 3,086 pounds of dry cargo in its forward pressurized section, including 1,316 pounds of vehicle hardware, 1,402 pounds of crew supplies, 212 pounds of science equipment and another 160 pounds of spacewalk gear and laptop computers.
The cargo ship also is carrying 220 pounds of gaseous oxygen, 1,874 pounds of propellant that will be pumped aboard the space station and another 8,818 pounds of propellant for boosting the station's orbit during 101 days of docked operations. The station currently orbits at about 220 miles, but the ATV-2's engines will be used over the course of its stay to increase the altitude to about 248 miles.
Including its cargo, the 14-foot-wide ATV-2 tipped the scales at nearly 45,000 pounds, making it the heaviest payload ever launched by the European Space Agency.
A launch try Tuesday was called of four minutes before liftoff because of erroneous indications from a ground system used by the first stage liquid oxygen fueling system. Because of the station's orbit and the ATV-2's weight, flight controllers did not have the luxury of a launch window to carry out troubleshooting. The problem was quickly resolved, but launch had to be reset for Wednesday.
 |
| A cutaway drawing of the European Space Agency's "Johannes Kepler" Automated Transfer Vehicle docked to the International Space Station. (Credit: ESA) |
NASA managers said earlier that a delay for the ATV-2 launch would result in a corresponding delay for Discovery's space station resupply mission.
But a space agency spokesman said Wednesday that flight planners are studying options for launching Discovery Feb. 24 as planned. A decision is expected during an executive-level flight readiness review Friday at the Kennedy Space Center.
The ATV, along with Russian Progress supply ships and Japan's HTV cargo carrier, will play a critical role in space station operations after NASA's space shuttle is retired this summer following a final three missions. Two U.S. companies -- SpaceX and Orbital Sciences -- also are developing unmanned cargo ships for NASA to help fill the resupply gap after the shuttle stops flying.
"In the early years, the U.S. expected the shuttle would fly for the entire life of the ISS," said Mike Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager. "With the decision to retire the shuttle and to move on to other systems for resupply, the ATV has become a critical of our capability. Whereas before it was important to have particularly the propulsion capability it carried, largely it was redundant to what shuttle could otherwise fly to ISS.
"So when the decision was made several years ago to retire the shuttle, both the ATV and the Japanese version, the HTV, became critical parts of our logistics resupply. And the vehicles we procure in the U.S. (provide) basically the balance of what is remaining after the ATV and HTV do their functions. So, in that sense, it's become critical to the well being of ISS."
The ATV is the only non-Russian spacecraft capable of transferring propellant to the space station and of using its own rocket engines to adjust the lab's orbit. During its three-and-a-half-month stay in space, the ATV-2 will be used for attitude control, to raise the station's altitude and to dodge orbital debris if necessary.
Here is a launch-to-docking timeline of the ATV-2's rendezvous with the International Space Station (in EST and mission elapsed time; dV=change in velocity; source: NASA):
DATE/EST......DD...HH...MM...SS...EVENT
02/16/11
04:50:55 PM...00,,,00...00...00...Main engine ignition command
04:51:02 PM...00...00...00...07...LIFTOFF (EAP (Solid Rocket) ignition)
04:53:14 PM...00...00...02...19...EAP (Solid Rocket) separation
04:54:24 PM...00...00...03...29...Fairing jettison
04:59:47 PM...00...00...08...52...EPC (first stage) cutoff
04:59:56 PM...00...00...09...01...EPC (Main Cryogenic Stage) Separation
04:59:59 PM...00...00...09...04...Second stage ignition No. 1
05:08:12 PM...00...00...17...17...Second stage shutdown No. 1
05:50:23 PM...00...00...59...28...Second stage ignition No. 2
05:50:50 PM...00...00...59...55...Second stage shutdown No. 2
05:50:53 PM...00...00...59...58...Orbit injection (H3.2)
05:51:13 PM...00...01...00...18...ATV telemetry via TDRSS
05:54:49 PM...00...01...03...54...Separation (H4.1)
05:55:09 PM...00...01...04...14...ATV command via TDRSS
06:01:49 PM...00...01...10...54...TDRS switch to 64 Kbps
06:18:13 PM...00...01...27...18...Solar array deployment
06:41:44 PM...00...01...50...49...Start of yaw steering
06:48:42 PM...00...01...57...47...GPS warmup
08:19:49 PM...00...03...28...54...PCE antenna deployment
2/17
02:20:23 AM...00...09...29...28...Phasing mnvr TP1 (dV: 3.95 m/s)
03:14:07 AM...00...10...23...12...Phasing mnvr TP2 (dV: 2.25 m/s)
2/19
12:35:28 PM...02...19...44...33...Phasing mnvr MC1_1 (dV: 1.60 m/s)
01:20:25 PM...02...20...29...30...Phasing mnvr MC1_2 (dV: 1.60 m/s)
2/22
07:59:57 AM...05...15...09...02...Phasing mnvr MC2_1 (dV: 1.80 m/s)
08:44:56 AM...05...15...54...01...Phasing mnvr MC2_2 (dV: 1.80 m/s)
2/23
08:43:34 AM...06...15...52...39...Phasing mnvr TV1_1 (dV: 10.09 m/s)
09:28:44 AM...06...16...37...49...Phasing mnvr TV1_2 (dV: 10.13 m/s)
04:17:54 PM...06...23...26...59...Phasing mnvr TV2_1 (dV: 6.00 m/s)
05:03:21 PM...07...00...12...26...Phasing mnvr TV2_2 (dV: 6.00 m/s)
11:53:59 PM...07...07...03...04...Phasing mnvr TV3_1 (dV: 3.00 m/s)
2/24
12:17:16 AM...07...07...26...21...Phasing mnvr TV3_2 (dV: 0.00 m/s)
12:39:36 AM...07...07...48...41...Phasing mnvr TV3_3 (dV: 3.00 m/s)
02:03:51 AM...07...09...12...56...S-2 waypoint
04:51:20 AM...07...12...00...25...S-1 waypoint
04:58:57 AM...07...12...08...02...Phasing mnvr IF1 (dV: 0.00 m/s)
05:44:35 AM...07...12...53...40...Phasing mnvr IF2 (dV: 0.00 m/s)
06:29:01 AM...07...13...38...06...Phasing mnvr IF3 (dV: 1.20 m/s)
06:37:55 AM...07...13...47...00...S-1/2 waypoint
07:23:19 AM...07...14...32...24...S1 waypoint/homing mnvr HM1 (600 s, dV: 1.61 m/s)
07:38:48 AM...07...14...47...53...homing mnvr HM2 (150 s, dV: 0.24 m/s)
07:54:18 AM...07...15...03...23...homing mnvr HM3 (150 s, dV: 0.27 m/s)
07:59:48 AM...07...15...08...53...homing mnvr HM4 (600 s, dV: 2.16 m/s)
08:09:48 AM...07...15...18...53...Arrive at S2 holdpoint
08:41:55 AM...07...15...51...00...Depart S2/Closing mnvr CM1 (270 s, dV: 1.50 m/s)
08:54:55 AM...07...16...04...00...Closing mnvr CM2 (180 s, dV: 0.44 m/s)
09:07:55 AM...07...16...17...00...Closing mnvr CM3 (150 s, dV: 0.39 m/s)
09:15:15 AM...07...16...24...20...Closing mnvr CM4 (400 s, dV: 1.55 m/s)
09:21:55 AM...07...16...31...00...Arrive at S3 holdpoint
09:58:25 AM...07...17...07...30...Depart S3 holdpoint
10:19:00 AM...07...17...28...05...Arrive at S4 holdpoint
10:34:55 AM...07...17...44...00...Depart S4 holdpoint
10:37:25 AM...07...17...46...30...Arrive at S41 holdpoint
10:42:25 AM...07...17...51...30...Depart S41 holdpoint
10:45:55 AM...07...17...55...00...DOCKING