Blog
PACE weekly commissioning update
Posted on Friday, February 16, 2024 at 12:00:00Launch through 14 February 2024
Launch
Shortly before midnight local time on 7 Feb 2024, the weather report announced favorable upper-level winds and a very low likelihood of weather impacting PACE's launch. Over the next hour, the PACE team prepared and monitored the spacecraft and performed readiness polls. At T-15 mins, the spacecraft was configured to internal power, and launch commenced as planned at 1:33am local time on 8 Feb 2024. After two days of waiting, PACE was finally a GO.
The launch and ascent went off without issue, including fairing separation, first stage landing, and spacecraft separation. Roughly 30 min after launch, the power team reported that PACE was power positive, and minutes later, the systems team confirmed that the solar array was fully deployed and pointing at the sun. Over the course of the evening, the GPS was powered on and the Science Data Segment (SDS) at GSFC confirmed that it was received housekeeping files from the spacecraft.
Commissioning
The PACE Project has planned 60 days of in-orbit checkout. Science data will start flowing publicly no later than the end of this commissioning period.
Accomplishments to date:
- Launch
- Verify spacecraft is stable and power-positive
- S-band (spacecraft telemetry and housekeeping) checkout
- GPS turn on
- Deploy solar arrays
- Release tilt launch locks
- Achieve nadir pointing
- Power on all three instruments
- Attitude control system (ACS) sensor and slews checkout
- Thrusters checkout
- Ka-band (science data) checkout
Notable events planned for the next week:
- Science calibration (lunar and solar) dry run slews
- Altitude and inclination burns
- Tilt system tests
- Other space craft slews
- The beginning of instrument commissioning
Of course, we're all super excited to have the instrument begin collecting data in the coming week(s)! Our hope is to have science first light released roughly one month from now.
Other information
Pictures have a thousand words, and we thought it'd be exciting to include a few. But, there are too many amazing ones to choose from, so instead, I'll direct you to an album:
https://images.nasa.gov/album/SpaceX_PACE
Finally, this update is being sent to a series of mailing lists, while also being posted online:
https://pace.oceansciences.org/blog.htm
In early March (TBD), we'll only send this update to a single email list. If you'd like to continue to receive email updates, become a member of our Community of Practice. Sign up here:
