1:15 am ET/Sept.7.13: This fact sheet from Emily Lakdawalla outlines the tasks for LADEE in the coming days and months. It will actually do several burns to get into the lunar orbit to begin its science mission: LADEE prelaunch facts – The Planetary Society.
11:59 pm ET: Success! Congratulations to the Orbital team for sending the LADEE spacecraft on the start of its journey to the Moon. LADEE will later fire its own on-board engine to complete the trip. NASA has been able to contact the spacecraft.
9:57 pm ET: The countdown is going well for the launch of the Orbital Sciences five-stage Minotaur V rocket from Wallops Island Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. (See earlier post.) Liftoff is expected at 11:27 p.m. EDT. The rocket will send NASA’s LADEE science probe to orbit the Moon.
Updates on the launch status can be found here:
- Minotaur Launch Report | Mission Status Center – Spaceflight Now
- Orbital Sciences (OrbitalSciences) on Twitter
- LADEE (NASALADEE) on Twitter
[ Update: Here is a video of the launch:
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