Today the team continued unpacking equipment and setting up the equipment in preparation for the arrival of the satellite and the start of stand alone testing. Stand alone testing is the period where the satellite is tested to ensure it still corks correctly before starting what is called combined operations with the launcher team.

Lunch was a mexican chuck wagon which was good.

By the end of the day the Payload Attach Fitting (PAF) was moved into the cleanroom in preparation for a fit check next week.

In the evening additional Airbus team members had arrived and the team went to relax.

In ESOC the commissioning simulations continued, below the BBR and ATLID project room.

And the EarthCare corner of the EO satellites control room.

Today was the real start of the campaign.

The team headed to the NASA facility to start shipping ground support equipment (GSE) to Astrotech.

As they arrived they saw the previous occupant of the Astrotech preparation hall, intended for Earthcare, moving to the launch complex.

The first truck was loaded and on its way.

At Astrotech the team continued to setup the offices whilst waiting for hazardous operations to finish on another project in the processing facilities.

Lunch today was from an outside wagon

Finally access was permitted to the processing facility allowing the team to continue the site acceptance procedure, complete crane training and start unloading equipment into the clean room and EGSE control room.

Eventually a long but successful day.

In ESOC the simulation campaigns continued with the ATLID TLS team warming up for a commissioning sim.

The team had to perform the usual daily checks of the satellite but also managed some rest and recuperation.

A few went hiking in Figueroa Mountains where there was still snow! The views were amazing with the clear weather.

And a well deserved meal.

There was also a chance at Morro Bay to meet with some of the locals

Also on the Saturday evening we were luck enough to see the Falcon 9 launch delayed from Friday. It launched 21 Starlink satellites, including six with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Today was the formal Kick Off of the campaign where the team had a meeting in the Astrotech facility.

Shaf started setting up the network infrastructure whilst the rest of the team had a planning meeting and took a long time deliberating who was going to be in which office…..pics to follow.

With the Easter period behind us some of the team have arrived back at Lompoc to start the preparations for the start of the main campaign next week.

Firstly the team goes to get their permanent base badges and then start the facility acceptance. This is the team discussing the configuration of the EGSE is the Astrotech processing facility control room.

The satellite, and associated GSE, is still safely in the NASA building waiting in anticipation to be moved to the Astrotech facility.