NASA
Glory Prepares to Join "A-Train"
March 3, 2011
UPDATE: The GLORY mission failed when its launch vehicle crashed into
the Pacific Ocean, minutes after liftoff from Vandenberg AFB in California.
©2011 NASA | SCVTV
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NASA's Glory Satellite Fails to Achieve Orbit
(Dulles, VA 4 March 2011) — Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) today announced that the launch of its Taurus XL rocket, which lifted off earlier today at 2:09 a.m. (PST), from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California carrying the company-built Glory satellite for NASA, was unsuccessful.
Preliminary indications are that the rocket's payload fairing, a clamshell mechanism that encases the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere, failed to separate from the rocket. The previous time a Taurus XL rocket was launched was in 2009 for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) mission. That launch also resulted in a failure due to a fairing separation problem. Since that time Orbital redesigned and tested the fairing separation system.
Orbital will immediately convene a failure investigation board that will include representative from the company and NASA to determine the cause of today's launch failure. Orbital believes that it is likely that sufficient data was gathered to be able to determine the cause of the fairing separation failure.
About Orbital
Orbital develops and manufactures small- and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. The company's primary products are satellites and launch vehicles, including low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous-Earth orbit and planetary exploration spacecraft for communications, remote sensing, scientific and defense missions; human-rated space systems for Earth-orbit, lunar and other missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also provides satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to U.S. Government agencies and laboratories.
NASA (Pre-launch, 3 March 2011)
Launching aboard the four-stage Taurus XL rocket, NASA's Glory spacecraft will take its place among a series of Earth-observing satellites collectively called the "A-Train."
Once in orbit, Glory will study the effect of aerosols on our planet's energy budget.
Both the Taurus launch vehicle and the Glory spacecraft were built by Orbital Sciences Corporation and prepared for launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The spacecraft arrived Jan. 11, 2011, at the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility for final processing and prelaunch checkout.
Soon after, its protective covers were removed and its solar arrays were inspected ... and tested.
Then, Glory was enclosed in the rounded payload fairing that will keep it safe during the critical climb to orbit.
A small deployer called P-POD is hitching a ride into space along with Glory, mounted on the Taurus rocket's third stage.
Tucked into the P-POD are the ELaNa CubeSats, three tiny satellites built by college and university students.
While the mission's payloads were being prepared for flight, the all-solid-fuel Taurus XL vehicle was coming together at Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 576-E.
The vehicle's three upper sections — stages 1, 2 and 3 — were joined together and transported to the launch site for final assembly.
But first, technicians carefully guided the rocket's ignition stage, known as Stage 0, down onto its launch mount and bolted it in place.
Next came the Interstage, a structural adapter between the Stage 1 and wider Stage 0 sections.
On Feb. 15, 2011, the payload fairing was added to the third stage, and the entire upper stack was installed ... leaving the Taurus XL rocket and the Glory spacecraft ready for final testing and liftoff.
