United Space Alliance
Plays Key Role In Challenging Flight Schedule
(11 March 2008) The second successful
launch of a Space Shuttle in 33 days set the pace for a challenging remainder
of the year for the Shuttle team.
NASA and United Space Alliance
ground controllers oversaw a smooth launch to orbit with Endeavour lifting off
just moments before 2:30 this morning on its way to the International Space
Station. It is the first night launch since 2002. It is also the second of six
planned missions this year, which is the most since 2001.
"This is the
second shuttle mission in what promises to be a very busy year, and it's off to
another great start," said United Space Alliance CEO Dick Covey, adding, "I am
really proud of the outstanding effort by our team in preparing Endeavour for
an on-time liftoff."
"Now that Endeavour is on orbit, our flight
controllers in Houston and Moscow are faced with a rigorous 16-day mission
including the installation of two major international hardware elements and
five spacewalks," Covey added. "However, the Shuttle team has been operating at
peak proficiency and is well prepared for the challenge."
Endeavour was
moved to its launch pad last month on February 17th. Just three days later,
Atlantis landed five miles away at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing
Facility, ending the STS-122 mission. The USA orbiter transfer team moved it
back to its processing facility and now the teams are well on their way to
turning Atlantis around for its scheduled mission to repair the Hubble space
telescope in five months. Meanwhile Space Shuttle Discovery is currently
undergoing processing and preparations for its upcoming launch set for May
25.
United Space Alliance is a world leader in space operations with
extensive experience in virtually all aspects of the field. Headquartered in
Houston with 10,000 employees working in Texas, Florida and Alabama, USA is
applying its broad range of capabilities to NASA's Space Shuttle, International
Space Station and Constellation programs as well as to space operations
customers in the commercial and international space industry
sectors.
(source: United Space Alliance)
|
||||||||||||
