Fri, May 06, 2011
Dry Runs Underway To Test Facilities
The final countdown before its maiden flight later this year has
begun for Soyuz with a simulated launch campaign at Europe's
Spaceport in French Guiana. This dry run ensures that the Soyuz and
the new facilities work together perfectly, while allowing the
teams to train under realistic launch conditions. It also validates
all the procedures during the final phase before launch, except the
fuelling of the vehicle.
Last Friday, one of the two Soyuz launchers already at the
Spaceport was rolled out of the preparation building horizontally
using the 600 m-long railway leading to the launch platform. The
vehicle was then erected into the vertical position and suspended
over the pad with the use of four support arms. The mobile gantry,
built specifically for Soyuz operations in French Guiana, was
rolled out to the pad and the vehicle's upper composite, comprising
the Fregat upper stage and payload fairing, was hoisted on top of
the launcher.
The rehearsal is simulating the five-day final phase before
launch. The final countdown will be performed, including the
gantry's rollback to its parked position, about 250 feet from the
pad. It will be intentionally stopped to validate the procedures in
the event of a launch interruption.
The countdown resumed Thursday with a simulated liftoff and
flight downrange. These tests will give the green light for the
first Soyuz flight from French Guiana in the third quarter of
2011.
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