NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft, designed to collect images of global interactions at the outer reaches of the solar system, Friday began its westward trek toward Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Officials said the IBEX spacecraft was loaded into a truck at Orbital Sciences Corporation in Virginia, where engineers attached the science payload onto the spacecraft and completed numerous tests.

“This is a huge milestone for the IBEX mission. It’s great to have our spacecraft making its road trip west,” said Dr. David McComas, IBEX principal investigator and senior executive director of the Space Science and Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute.

Once it arrives at Vandenberg, IBEX will undergo final testing, fueling and “spin balancing” prior to being mated to a Pegasus rocket. The Pegasus/IBEX mission is set for Oct. 5 from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Central Pacific Ocean.

Unlike traditional ground-launched rockets, the winged Pegasus space vehicle is carried under the belly of a modified L-1011 jet. The rocket will be released from the plane and free fall for five seconds before its first-stage motor fires, sending Pegasus and its payload toward space. The satellite is set to be delivered to an temporary orbit 130 miles above Earth.

While it can launch at multiple locations across the globe, Pegasus uses Vandenberg as its home base where crews assemble rockets and ready the vehicle for flight.

“This move to VAFB begins the final sequence of ground processing for the IBEX mission,” said Greg Frazier, IBEX mission manager. “We are all looking forward to completing the ground processing, integrating with the Pegasus launch vehicle and having a successful launch.”

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Earlier this month a commercial spacecraft called GeoEye-1 safely arrived at Vandenberg to undergo final preparations in time for its Aug. 22 launch aboard a Delta 2 rocket. The United Launch Alliance booster is set to fly from Space Launch Complex-2 at the base during a late morning blastoff.

“Our launch next month marks the culmination of a great deal of dedication by an extraordinarily talented team,” said Bill Schuster, GeoEye’s chief operating officer. “We will soon be able to make available to the U.S. government and others worldwide the best quality commercial imagery on the market. GeoEye-1, once launched and operational, will further demonstrate the viability of the commercial imagery industry and our ability to provide our key customers the imagery needed to meet critical mission requirements.”

However, Delta 2 isn’t the next launch on Vandenberg’s manifest. A Minuteman 3 missile test has that spot, targeting departure between 1:01 and

7:01 a.m. Aug. 13.

Janene Scully can be reached at 739-2214 or janscully@santamariatimes.com.

July 26, 2008