Yesterday, the team in Plesetsk received a communication from Eurockot and Khrunichev informing them that 16 February has been designated as the new launch date. The official letter is expected in the next day or so.
Sentinel-3A and Breeze upper stage. (ESA/ATG medialab)
This date assumes that the launch pad will be ‘recertified’ by 30 January. This is the issue that postponed the earlier launch date of 4 February. If certification is achieved by 30 January we will be able to proceed with fuelling the satellite on 1 February.
Since we were put on hold last week the industrial team have been doing some ‘active’ babysitting. They have been checking the satellite to make sure that all protective coverings were in place and making sure that the hydrazine fuel drums weren’t leaking. Everything has been fine on that front.
At 35%, humidity levels in the electrical ground support equipment rooms have also been fine.
Snowy Plesetsk. (ESA)
Over the weekend we monitored the humidity of the room under the launch pad. We were able to do this remotely thanks to a webcam, again it remains fine.
On the Russian side, the activities required for the certification of the launch pad were ongoing as planned.
Weather in Plesetsk: cloudy and –16°C (after 20 cm of fresh snowfall during the weekend).
For information about our Sentinel-3 mission visit www.esa.int/sentinel-3
From the ESA Sentinel-3A team at the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Russia.
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