Launch Services Program
Encyclopedia
Launch Services Program is responsible for NASA
oversight of launch operations and countdown management, providing added quality and mission assurance in lieu of the requirement for the launch service provider to obtain a commercial launch license. Primary launch sites are Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
(CCAFS) in Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base
(VAFB) in California.
Other launch locations are NASA's Wallops Flight Facility
, in Virginia, the North Pacific’s Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Kodiak Island
in Alaska.
Since 1990, NASA has purchased ELV launch services
directly from commercial providers, whenever possible, for its scientific and applications missions. ELVs can accommodate all types of orbit inclinations and altitudes and are ideal vehicles for launching Earth-orbit and interplanetary missions. The Launch Services Program was
established at Kennedy Space Center for NASA’s acquisition and program management of Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) missions. A NASA/contractor team is in place to meet the mission of the Launch Services Program, which exists to provide leadership, expertise and cost-effective services in the commercial arena to satisfy Agencywide space transportation requirements and maximize the opportunity for mission success.
, GRAIL
, MSL
The Mars Pathfinder began its journey to Mars atop a Delta II that launched Dec. 4, 1996, from Launch Complex 17-B.
NASA’s first return to Mars after the Viking mission began with the launch of the Mars Global Surveyor atop a Delta II Nov. 7, 1996, from CCAFS Launch Complex 17-A. The Surveyor traveled to the red planet and spent approximately two years mapping the Martian surface to achieve a global portrait.
NASA’s Genesis spacecraft launched aboard a Delta II Aug. 8, 2001, from Launch Complex 17-A at CCAFS. Genesis collected samples of solar wind — invisible, charged particles that flow outward from the Sun. The particles will be studied by scientists to search for answers to fundamental questions about the exact composition of our star and the birth of our Solar System.
The Deep Impact mission launched Jan. 12, 2005, from CCAFS and will reach Comet Tempel 1 in July 2005. The “flyby” spacecraft will collect images of the comet before its “impactor” spacecraft reaches the comet and after the impact to study the pristine interior of one of its craters.
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) (Atlas IIAS)
The SOHO spacecraft, a joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency, was launched aboard an Atlas IIAS Dec. 2, 1995, from Space Launch Complex 36 at CCAFS. The SOHO spacecraft, which was launched Dec. 2, 1995, aboard an Atlas rocket, gathered data to study the internal structure of the Sun, its extensive outer atmosphere and the origin of solar wind, as well as the stream of highly ionized gas that blows
continuously through the Solar System. The information SOHO provided helped scientists better understand the interactions between the Sun and the Earth’s environment.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
oversight of launch operations and countdown management, providing added quality and mission assurance in lieu of the requirement for the launch service provider to obtain a commercial launch license. Primary launch sites are Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
(CCAFS) in Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
(VAFB) in California.
Other launch locations are NASA's Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility , located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, is operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, primarily as a rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other U.S. government agencies...
, in Virginia, the North Pacific’s Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
in Alaska.
Since 1990, NASA has purchased ELV launch services
Expendable launch system
An expendable launch system is a launch system that uses an expendable launch vehicle to carry a payload into space. The vehicles used in expendable launch systems are designed to be used only once , and their components are not recovered for re-use after launch...
directly from commercial providers, whenever possible, for its scientific and applications missions. ELVs can accommodate all types of orbit inclinations and altitudes and are ideal vehicles for launching Earth-orbit and interplanetary missions. The Launch Services Program was
established at Kennedy Space Center for NASA’s acquisition and program management of Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) missions. A NASA/contractor team is in place to meet the mission of the Launch Services Program, which exists to provide leadership, expertise and cost-effective services in the commercial arena to satisfy Agencywide space transportation requirements and maximize the opportunity for mission success.
Objective
Provide safe, reliable, cost-effective and on-schedule processing, mission analysis, and spacecraft integration and launch services for NASA and NASA-sponsored payloads needing a mission on ELVs.Current Missions
JUNOJuno (spacecraft)
Juno is a NASA New Frontiers mission to the planet Jupiter. Juno was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 5, 2011. The spacecraft is to be placed in a polar orbit to study the planet's composition, gravity field, magnetic field, and polar magnetosphere...
, GRAIL
Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory is an American lunar science mission in NASA's Discovery Program, which will use high-quality gravitational field mapping of the Moon to determine its interior structure...
, MSL
Mars Science Laboratory
The Mars Science Laboratory is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission with the aim to land and operate a rover named Curiosity on the surface of Mars. The MSL was launched November 26, 2011, at 10:02 EST and is scheduled to land on Mars at Gale Crater between August 6 and 20, 2012...
Historic Missions
See LSPs Historic Missions at: Launch Services HistoryMars Exploration Rovers (MER-A & B) (Delta II)
NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers were launched aboard Delta II vehicles from CCAFS. MER-A Spirit launched June 10, 2003, and MER-B Opportunity launched July 7 that same year. Both rovers reached Mars in January 2004. Information sent from the rovers back to Earth revealed the existence of water in the red planet’s past. Previous Mars missions include the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft that launched from Space Launch Complex 17A at CCAFS April 7, 2001.The Mars Pathfinder began its journey to Mars atop a Delta II that launched Dec. 4, 1996, from Launch Complex 17-B.
NASA’s first return to Mars after the Viking mission began with the launch of the Mars Global Surveyor atop a Delta II Nov. 7, 1996, from CCAFS Launch Complex 17-A. The Surveyor traveled to the red planet and spent approximately two years mapping the Martian surface to achieve a global portrait.
Stardust, Genesis, Deep Impact (Delta II)
On Feb. 7, 1999, a Delta II launched from Launch Complex 17-A at CCAFS carrying the Stardust spacecraft. Stardust collected comet dust and volatile samples during a planned close encounter with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Stardust also collected samples of interstellar dust, including the recently discovered dust streaming into our Solar System. This launch was unusual in that it was the first U.S. mission dedicated solely to the study of a comet.NASA’s Genesis spacecraft launched aboard a Delta II Aug. 8, 2001, from Launch Complex 17-A at CCAFS. Genesis collected samples of solar wind — invisible, charged particles that flow outward from the Sun. The particles will be studied by scientists to search for answers to fundamental questions about the exact composition of our star and the birth of our Solar System.
The Deep Impact mission launched Jan. 12, 2005, from CCAFS and will reach Comet Tempel 1 in July 2005. The “flyby” spacecraft will collect images of the comet before its “impactor” spacecraft reaches the comet and after the impact to study the pristine interior of one of its craters.
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) (Atlas IIAS)
The SOHO spacecraft, a joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency, was launched aboard an Atlas IIAS Dec. 2, 1995, from Space Launch Complex 36 at CCAFS. The SOHO spacecraft, which was launched Dec. 2, 1995, aboard an Atlas rocket, gathered data to study the internal structure of the Sun, its extensive outer atmosphere and the origin of solar wind, as well as the stream of highly ionized gas that blows
continuously through the Solar System. The information SOHO provided helped scientists better understand the interactions between the Sun and the Earth’s environment.
See also
- NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
- Atlas VAtlas VAtlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...
- BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
- Delta IIDelta IIDelta II was an American space launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas. Delta II is part of the Delta rocket family and was in service from 1989 until November 1, 2011...
- Delta IV
- Lockheed MartinLockheed MartinLockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
- United Space AllianceUnited Space AllianceUnited Space Alliance is a spaceflight operations company. USA is a joint venture which was established in August 1995 as a Limited Liability Company , equally owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas and, employed approximately 8,800 people in Texas,...
- Commercial Spaceflight FederationCommercial Spaceflight FederationThe Commercial Spaceflight Federation is a private spaceflight industry group, incorporated as an industry association for the purposes of establishing ever higher levels of safety for the commercial human spaceflight industry, sharing best practices and expertise, and promoting the growth of the...
External links
- United Launch Aliance site Launch Provider
- Space X site Launch Provider
- Orbital site Launch Provider
- Space Flight Now Provides Space News including Launch Coverage