BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Follow the preparations and launch of the Japanese H-2A rocket carrying the Data Relay Test Satellite and USERS space experiment platform. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2002

Japanese H-2A rocket launches successfully
After two successful test flights, Japan's H-2A rocket launched on its first operational mission today carrying a pair of satellite cargos into two distinctively different orbital perches above Earth. Read our full story.

0850 GMT (4:50 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 30 minutes. The DRTS communications satellite has been released from the upper stage of the H-2A rocket, completing the launcher's first operational flight.

The mission blasted off right on time today and appears to have gone as planned.

0849 GMT (4:49 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 29 minutes. The second burn has been completed. Standing by for DRTS deployment.

0846 GMT (4:46 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 26 minutes. The vehicle is approaching the equator for the final events to conclude today's launch. See the mission ground track.

0844 GMT (4:44 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 24 minutes. Confirmation has been announced that USERS space experiment satellite was deployed. Officials also report that the dual payload adapter and lower two pieces of the rocket's payload fairing have been jettisoned. This exposes the DRTS spacecraft for its release after the upcoming second burn of the upper stage.

0834 GMT (4:34 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 14 minutes. The second stage engine has shut down following the first of its two firings of this launch. The vehicle should now be in a circular low-Earth orbit for release of the USERS payload. Standing by for confirmation of spacecraft separation.

0830 GMT (4:30 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 10 minutes. A successful flight so far, officials report. The second stage engine continues to fire.

0827 GMT (4:27 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 7 minutes, 30 seconds. The first stage engine has shut down and the spent stage has separated. And the second stage engine has ignited. Trajectory is reported normal.

0825 GMT (4:25 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 5 minutes. NASDA reports the flight has proceeding normally with the firing of the solid rocket motors and their subsequent separations. The upper portion of the payload fairing also has been jettisoned. The first stage main engine is still burning as planned.

0820 GMT (4:20 a.m. EDT)

LIFTOFF! The first operational flight of Japan's H-2A rocket has blasted off on time today from Tanegashima carrying the Unmanned Space Experiment Recovery System, or USERS, spacecraft and the Data Relay Test Satellite, or DRTS.

USERS is scheduled to be deployed just under 14 minutes from now in a circular orbit 280 miles above Earth. The upper stage will then fire again to inject DRTS into a geosynchronous transfer orbit of 22,300 miles high on one end and 280 miles at perigee, with spacecraft separation expected about 29 minutes after liftoff.

Here is a timeline of the events to occur during launch.

We'll update this page as information becomes available.

0817 GMT (4:17 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The rocket has switched from ground-fed power to internal batteries for launch.

0815 GMT (4:15 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 5 minutes. A readiness check of the tracking stations at the launch site and downrange locations indicates all is "go" for launch. And final checks of the payloads have been performed with no problems.

The launch countdown sequencer will take control over the next minute.

0810 GMT (4:10 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 10 minutes and counting.

0750 GMT (3:50 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 30 minutes. The Terminal Countdown continues at the Tanegashima Space Center for launch of the H-2A rocket at 0228 GMT. Skies are clear over the pad, the weather is acceptable and there are no technical problems being reported.

0720 GMT (3:20 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 60 minutes.

0640 GMT (2:40 a.m. EDT)

The countdown rolls on at the Tanegashima launch site in Japan for today's flight of the H-2A rocket carrying two satellite payloads. One of those spacecraft -- NASDA's Data Relay Test Satellite -- was a topic of concern a little while ago. Officials reported some telemetry issues when the craft was powered up for launch. But that has since been resolved successfully. At the launch pad, topping of the onboard cryogenics to the two-stage rocket continues and well as system checks.

0210 GMT (10:10 p.m. EDT Mon.)

Officials report the loading of the first and second stages with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen cryogenics has been completed, with all four tanks 100 percent full. However, the propellants naturally boil away and have to be replenished throughout the rest of the countdown. Liftoff remains scheduled for 0820 GMT (4:20 a.m. EDT).

0110 GMT (9:10 p.m. EDT Mon.)

Super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants are being pumped into the Japanese H-2A rocket as the countdown continues on schedule.

0040 GMT (8:40 p.m. EDT Mon.)

Riding atop its mobile launch platform, the fully assembled H-2A rocket was rolled from the vehicle assembly building to the launch pad a few hours ago as the countdown began ticking for liftoff at 0820 GMT (4:20 a.m. EDT). The 500-meter trip took less than a half-hour.

With all the hook ups between the platform and pad systems successfully completed, officials gave a "go" to begin fueling the two-stage vehicle with cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen rocket fuel. The chilldown thermal conditioning of feed lines and the fuel tanks then started as a precursor to the actual tanking operations.

There are no reports of any technical troubles and the weather conditions are favorable.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2002

Japan's H-2A rocket is primed and ready for launch Tuesday on its first operational flight, carrying two diverse satellite payloads into vastly different orbits around Earth.

Liftoff is scheduled for 0820 GMT (4:20 a.m. EDT) from the Yoshinobu launch complex at Tanegashima, Japan. The launch window extends for 30 minutes.

Officials say the weather forecast appears favorable during the launch window, with partly cloudy skies, acceptable winds and temperatures in limits.

The Japanese space agency NASDA has completed two successful test flights of the H-2A rocket in August 2001 and this past February, raising confidence levels enough to clear the first operational mission for liftoff. A payload in the February launch failed to separate, but that was later attributed to an error in the satellite's systems.

The H-2A rocket set to fly Tuesday is of the same configuration of the launcher that flew in February, with four small solid-fueled strap-on boosters and a four-meter fairing tailored for dual payloads.

Preparations at the launch site began on July 29 with the arrival and erection of the H-2A's first stage in the vehicle assembly building. The second stage was lifted and attached atop the first stage on July 30.

The two larger solid-fueled boosters were bolted to the first stage on July 31 and August 1. Smaller solid-fueled strap-on boosters were added over the next few days.

The rocket was moved to the launch pad on August 26 for a wet dress rehearsal where liquid oxygen and hydrogen propellants were loaded aboard the vehicle. The H-2A was rolled back to the assembly building following the successful completion of the test.

On September 2, the two payloads their protective fairing were installed onto the top of the second stage, completing the integration of the launcher.

A final technical review cleared the vehicle and satellites for launch on September 5, and final inspections occurred last Friday. Pyrotechnics were connected and readied on Saturday.

Sunday saw various other preparations and checks on the launch facilities and mechanical systems.

Final launch operations will begin late Monday evening Japanese time, or Monday morning GMT.

The H-2A rocket and transporter are expected to begin the 20-minute journey from the assembly building to the launch pad about 12 hours before the scheduled launch time. The launcher will then settle in for the final hours of the countdown, which include cryogenic fueling of the first and second stages with their loads of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

The LE-7A first stage main engine will ignite five seconds prior to liftoff and build up thrust. If all parameters are deemed acceptable, the two large solid-fueled boosters come to life at T-0, followed immediately by liftoff. The four smaller boosters are lit during the flight.

Riding in the upper position inside the nose cone and separating first will be the Unmanned Space Experiment Recovery System, or USERS. The H-2A launcher will place the spacecraft in a low Earth orbit about 280 miles high with an inclination of 30.4 degrees following the initial firing of the second stage. Deployment of the payload is expected just under 14 minutes into the mission.

The craft will take part in an experiment in super conductive materials over a period spanning almost 8 months, then a small re-entry module will be jettisoned to return the experiment to Earth for inspection. The larger service module will remain in orbit to conduct more demonstration tests for about two years.

NASDA's Data Relay Test Satellite is the mission's primary payload, occupying the lower portion of the "double-decker" design of the H-2A's payload fairing. DRTS is similar in purpose to NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite constellation, relaying telemetry and commands between spacecraft in low orbits and ground controllers.

The DRTS system was originally composed of two spacecraft to cover different portions of the globe, but development of the follow-on craft was stopped in August 2001.

After USERS is deployed, the second stage will be reignited to inject DRTS into a highly elliptical geosynchronous transfer orbit, ranging from a predicted high point of about 22,300 miles, a low point of around 280 miles, and an intended inclination of 28.5 degrees. Release from the launch vehicle is slated to occur just over 29 minutes after liftoff.

The craft will fire its apogee kick engine several times over the coming days to guide itself into a circular orbit about 22,300 miles above Earth, where it will appear to hover over spot along the equator at 90 degrees East longitude in the Indian Ocean.

Come back to this page for live play-by-play updates during the final countdown and launch of the H-2A rocket Tuesday morning.