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News | May 31, 2018

Latest Spacecraft Status

Deputy Project Manager Mike Gross sits at a computer console with multiple screens showing spacecraft status.

Deputy Project Manager Mike Gross is the satellite lead for NASA at the German Space Operations Centre during the GRACE-FO launch.

The Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP) was completed successfully on May 26, 2018. All flight and ground systems have performed exceptionally well throughout the period. The mission has moved to an on-orbit check-out phase. The accelerometer and microwave science instruments have been powered on successfully and the two satellites are in relative pointing mode. Ranging data are being collected. Initial evaluation of the data indicates the instruments are performing well.

The darkened room of mission control is lighted by computer screens.
Spacecraft command and monitoring take place at the German Space Operations Centre, operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.

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