14 DAY TRIAL // Both spacecraft NASA launched this morning were safely and successfully delivered to their respective orbits, officials from the American space agency are happy to announce. The Radiation Belt Storm Probes are now officially deployed and can begin orbital testing and commissioning procedures.
They launched to space from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida early this morning, at 4:05 am EDT (0805 GMT), aboard an ULA Atlas V rocket. They were tucked into a Centaurus upper stage, which delivered them successfully to their respective orbits a short time after launch.
“I'm very happy to report that we have two happy spacecraft on orbit,” announces RBSP project manager Rick Fitzgerald, who is based at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He adds that the two-year mission has started under excellent auspices.
Both sets of solar panels have already been deployed, and the spacecraft are getting energy into their batteries. “Now that the spacecraft are safely in orbit, the real fun begins,” NASA Science Mission Directorate Deputy Associate Administrator, Mike Luthe, says.