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    NASA Invites Media to View Launch of ICESat-2 from West Coast

    Artist's image of NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft above Earth.

    Media accreditation is open for the launch of NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15, with a 40-minute window opening at 8:46 a.m. EDT (5:46 a.m. PDT). ICESat-2 will provide precise measurements of the changing height of Earth's glaciers, ice sheets and sea ice. The spacecraft will lift off …

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    Launch Week Begins for Parker Solar Probe

    Encapsulated in its payload fairing, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has been mated to a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 37 on July 31, 2018.

    Teams preparing for launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe are beginning a busy week leading up to liftoff, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 11, at 3:33 a.m. EDT, the opening of a 65-minute window. The spacecraft will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 on Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

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    Parker Solar Probe Launch Window Extended to August 23

    An illustration showing the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft — a flat shield facing the Sun, with instruments and antennae on the other side, near the Sun, which has solar material ejecting off of it.

    NASA and its mission partners have analyzed and approved an extended launch window for Parker Solar Probe until Aug. 23, 2018 (previously Aug. 19). The spacecraft is scheduled to launch no earlier than Aug. 11, 2018, at 3:48 a.m. with a window of 45 minutes.

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    Parker Solar Probe Attached to ULA Delta IV Heavy, Prepped for Mission to the Sun

    An artist rendition of NASA's Parker Solar Probe observing the sun.

    NASA's Parker Solar Probe, secured inside its payload fairing, was moved July 30, 2018, from nearby Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, to Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The following day, the spacecraft was lifted and attached to the top of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility.

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    Parker Solar Probe Launch Targeted for Aug. 11

    Illustration of NASA's Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun.

    NASA and its mission partners are targeting Aug. 11 for the launch of the Parker Solar Probe mission to the Sun. The 45-minute launch window will open at 3:48 a.m. EDT. During final inspections following the encapsulation of the spacecraft, a small strip of foam was found inside the fairing and additional time is needed for inspection.

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    Parker Solar Probe Launch No Earlier Than Aug. 6, 2018

    Parker Solar Probe in Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida.

    NASA now is targeting launch of the Parker Solar Probe no earlier than Aug. 6, 2018. Additional time was needed to evaluate the configuration of a cable clamp on the payload fairing. Teams have modified the configuration and encapsulation operations have continued. Teams also have successfully repaired a leak in the purge ground support tubing on the third stage rocket motor, which was discovered during final spacecraft processing late last week. The satellite will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

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    Update to Media Day: Parker Solar Probe Undergoing Additional Processing

    Two people in bunny suits kneel in front of a solar panel attached to a spacecraft while operating a purple laser in the dark.

    Teams require additional time for processing NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft after discovering a minor tubing leak in the ground support equipment during final processing. The tubing is being repaired, and the spacecraft is healthy. As always, operations take precedence during launch and we needed to cancel media day activities on July 13, 2018. NASA will make every effort to provide updated imagery of the spacecraft prior to encapsulation.

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    Delta II Comes Together Ahead of ICESat-2 Launch

    This expanded-view graphic depicts the components of the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket that will launch NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft.

    The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket slated to launch NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, has made significant progress toward liftoff, planned for Sept. 12. Prelaunch preparations are well underway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where the rocket is coming together at Space Launch Complex 2. Earlier this month …

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    Revised Launch Date Targeted for Parker Solar Probe

    Illustration of Parker Solar Probe with the Sun behind it

    NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory are now targeting launch of the agency's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft no earlier than Aug. 4, 2018. Originally scheduled to launch on July 31, additional time is needed to accommodate further software testing of spacecraft systems. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

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