The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory has been directed to handle the DART mission for NASAs Planetary Defense Coordination Office as a project of the companys Planetary Missions Program Office. NASA provides support for the objective from numerous centers, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Johnson Space Center in Houston, Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Illustration of the DART spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL
NASAs Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft is now encapsulated in the SpaceX payload fairings. Service technicians with SpaceX installed the two halves of the fairing around the spacecraft throughout two days, November 16 and 17, inside the SpaceX Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The payload fairing works as a barrier to the extreme environment of the environment throughout DARTs launch and climb atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
” The encapsulation occasion is a considerable turning point in DARTs launch procedure as it marks the last direct access to the spacecraft and conclusion of all significant testing turning points prior to launch,” stated Joan Misner, NASAs Launch Service Program combination engineer. “The team has worked all the time to guarantee they wouldnt miss out on a thing.”
Inside SpaceXs Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, both halves of the Falcon 9 rockets protective payload fairing move towards NASAs Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft on November 16, 2021. The payload fairing, with the spacecraft firmly within, will be connected to the top of the Falcon 9 and will safeguard the spacecraft throughout launch and ascent. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Ed Whitman
On November 17, NASAs Launch Services Program (LSP), SpaceX, and DART launch supervisors completed a Flight Readiness Review (FRR) at Vandenberg. The function of the FRR is to upgrade the group on the status of the mission, liquidate actions from previous readiness evaluations, and certify the preparedness to proceed with initiation of final launch preparation activities.
DART is set up to introduce from Vandenberg on November 23 at 10:21 p.m. PST (November 24 at 1:21 a.m. EST). DART is the first mission to check innovations for avoiding an effect of Earth by a harmful asteroid. DARTs target asteroid is not a threat to Earth. LSP, based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Americas multi-user spaceport, is handling the launch.
Inside SpaceXs Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, both halves of the Falcon 9 rockets protective payload fairing relocation towards NASAs Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft on November 16, 2021. DART is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg on November 23 at 10:21 p.m. PST (November 24 at 1:21 a.m. EST). DART is the very first mission to evaluate technologies for preventing an impact of Earth by a harmful asteroid.
