General

The commissioning of the CHAMP satellite and its payload is going on according to schedule.

Satellite bus systems

Power: The preventive protective function for controlling the battery charge introduced the day before proved to work properly in operation.

Thermal system: Still very stable.

Attitude and orbit control: By preliminarily changing the operational concept for the star sensors, a stable attitude control was achieved. With this realized stability, the cold gas consumption could be reduced to the values necessary for a long-term mission of 5 years. This solution will be established in the next days by a software update in the star sensors.

Onboard data handling system: The onboard processor and software run correctly.

Telemetric system: A stable transmission from/to the satellite was secured at any time.

Scientific instruments

As a further important scientific instrument, the STAR accelerometer was put into operation and proved fully functioning. The analysis of the first dump data is in full swing.

Flight operations

Flight operations run nominally. The continual availability of the ground stations of the NASA polar network support the swift transition into routine operation of CHAMP excellently.

Satellite orbit

The CHAMP orbit is recovered with very good quality. As a further laser tracking station conducting laser measurements to the CHAMP reflector - besides Riga station -, we congratulate the French station Grasse.

signed:
Christoph Reigber
CHAMP Project Director
GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam

signed:
Peter Mühlbauer
CHAMP Mission Operations Director
German Space Operations Center of the DLR