De komende lancering van de LISA Pathfinder van minuut tot minuut [Update]

[Update 2 december 20.30 uur.] De lancering zal plaatsvinden op donderdag 3 december om 05.04 uur Nederlandse tijd.

Woensdag 2 december a.s om 05:15 uur Nederlandse tijd – wekker zetten! – wordt de Europese LISA Pathfinder met de dertig meter hoge Vega raket vanaf de ruimtehaven Kourou in Frans Guyana gelanceerd. Alles is vanaf 04.55 uur live te zien via ESA TV. Details over die missie kan je hier vinden, maar een zeer uitgebreide tabel met minutieus alles over de lancering vind je hieronder. Hierin is MET=Mission Elapsed Time – before/after liftoff times are -/+, GMT=Greenwich Mean Time, CET=Central European Time (=Nederlandse tijd), Vega VV06=Arianespace Vega launcher flight VV06, ESOC=European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt, Germany.

MET	GMT	CET	Vega VV06	LISA Pathfinder/ESOC
L€“09:10:00	19:05:00	18:05:00		Flight Control Team €˜on console€™ in ESOC Main Control Room; start of prelaunch activities
L-09:00:00	19:15:00	20:15:00		ESOC teams begin monitoring spacecraft and ground systems, receiving live telemetry from LISA Pathfinder on top of Vega via umbilical
L-08:00:00	20:15:00	21:15:00	Start of Vega countdown
L-06:00:00	22:15:00	23:15:00		Start of ESOC network countdown; mission controllers continue monitoring LISA Pathfinder
L-05:10:00	23:05:00	0:05:00	Vega Inertial Reference System on;
			Vega telemetry starts flowing
L-05:05:00	23:10:00	0:10:00		Flight Director conducts first formal check of ground segment launch readiness: confirms that teams, systems and stations are ready
L-04:55:00	23:20:00	0:20:00		Flight Director reports ground segment status to Kourou launch control centre
L-04:20:00	23:55:00	0:55:00	Activation of Vega onboard computer and loading of flight program
L-02:40:00	1:35:00	2:35:00	Mobile gantry withdrawal (45 mins)
L-01:55:00	2:20:00	3:20:00	Alignment and checks of Inertial Reference System (after withdrawal of gantry)
L-01:15:00	3:00:00	4:00:00	Vega telemetry transmitter on (after withdrawal of gantry)
			Vega transponders on
L-00:55:00	3:20:00	4:20:00		Flight Director conducts Go/NoGo roll call in Main Control Room
L-00:35:00	3:40:00	4:40:00		Spacecraft Operations Manager conducts final briefing with ground tracking stations
L-00:34:00	3:41:00	4:41:00	Launcher system ready
L-00:25:00	3:50:00	4:50:00		Flight Director conducts final formal check of ground segment launch readiness: confirms that teams, systems and stations are ready
L-00:15:00	4:00:00	5:00:00	LISA Pathfinder on internal power	Flight Director confirms ground segment ready for liftoff to Kourou launch control centre
L-00:10:00	4:05:00	5:05:00	Last Kourou weather report before launch
L-00:04:00	4:11:00	5:11:00	Start of Vega synchronized sequence
L-00:00:08	4:14:52	5:14:52	Last possible launch abort
0:00:00	4:15:00	5:15:00	Vega first stage ignition
0:00:01	4:15:01	5:15:01	LIFT OFF
L+00:01:53	4:16:53	5:16:53	Separation of first stage
L+00:01:54	4:16:54	5:16:54	Second stage ignition
L+00:03:37	4:18:37	5:18:37	Separation of second stage
L+00:03:49	4:18:49	5:18:49	Third stage ignition
L+00:04:03	4:19:03	5:19:03	Fairing jettisoned
L+00:06:30	4:21:30	5:21:30	Separation of third stage
L+00:07:29	4:22:29	5:22:29	Fourth stage first burn
L+00:16:23	4:31:23	5:31:23	Fourth stage shutdown
L+01:41:19	5:56:19	6:56:19	Fourth stage second burn
L+01:42:53	5:57:53	6:57:53	Fourth stage second shutdown
L+01:45:33	6:00:33	7:00:33	LISA Pathfinder release command
L+01:45:33	6:00:33	7:00:33	SEPARATION	LISA Pathfinder separates from fourth stage; begins automatic sequence
L+01:47:03	6:02:03	7:02:03		Acquisition of signal (earliest) from satellite via Kourou station
L+01:48:00	6:03:00	7:03:00		ESOC issues test command
L+01:55:10	6:10:10	7:10:10	Fourth stage third burn, for deorbiting
L+01:55:17	6:10:17	7:10:17	Fourth stage shutdown
L+02:10:00	6:25:00	7:25:00		LISA Pathfinder end of automatic sequence. In stable, Sun-pointing mode. ESOC teams continue checkout

Bron: ESA.