Aura

Launch data: Designation  28376 / 04026A Launch date  15 Jul 2004 - 10:01:59 UT Launch site  Va, SLC-2W Launch vehicle  Delta 7920-10L (D306) Mission  Government: Remote Sensing / Earth observing Sun-Synchronous LEO Earth orbit on 4 Aug: Perigee / Apogee  692 x 697 km Eccentricity  7,07E-05 Inclination  98,22° Period  98,65 min

Spacecraft data: Prime contractor  Northrop Grumman Space Technology (ex TRW) Platform  T330 (AB-1200) Operator  Goddard Space Flight Center/EOS Data and Operations System Mass at launch  2967 kg 3112 kg (Ref #7-JSR531) Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension   Solar array   Stabilization   DC power  4600 W (EOL) Design lifetime  5+ yrs - still active

Description:

• Joins Aqua, Parasol, Cloudsat, and Calipso in A-Train.
• Aura is the third satellite in the Earth Observing Series (EOS), also known as Chemistry-1.
  Satellite carry the following instruments:
  • HIRDLS - High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder
  • MLS - Microwave Limb Sounder
  • OMI - Ozone Monitoring Instrument
  • TES - Troposheric Emission Spectrometer
• Study Earth's ozone, air quality, and climate; extension of UARS and TOMS missions.
• "Aura, the first comprehensive laboratory in space to help us better understand the chemistry and composition of the Earth's atmosphere, is fundamentally a mission to understand and protect the very air we breathe," said Ghassem Asrar, NASA's associate administrator for Earth science.
• Aura is the third of three large satellites in NASA's Earth Observing System -- a program aimed at taking the pulse of the planet's environment. The flagship Terra was launched in late 1999 to study the land; and Aqua followed two years ago to monitor Earth's water cycle.

Mission details:

The Aura satellite is seen here during pre-flight preparations. Credit: Northrop Grumman

An artist′s illustration shows Aura deploying its power-generating solar array soon after launch. Credit: NASA-GSFC

• Rumbling into the predawn sky at 1002 GMT (6:02 a.m. EDT; 3:02 a.m. PDT), the two-stage rocket creating a dazzling light show for spectators at Vandenberg Air Force Base and beyond. Ten minutes later, NASA's Aura satellite reached an initial orbit above the planet while still riding the rocket's second stage motor.
• Aura was originally supposed to launch June 19, but multiple technical concerns conspired to postpone the mission six times, keeping the satellite earthbound for an extra month.
• Nearly an hour after liftoff, the rocket restarted its second stage engine over east-central Africa to propel Aura into an orbit 370 nautical miles high. Sixty-four minutes into flight, the second stage opened its latches and then gently backed away from Aura, successfully delivering the 6,600-pound craft into space for the start of its six-year mission.

External links:

• Aura site: Satellite Information
• Satellite tracking (n2ya.com): Real time satellite tracking