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On July 16, 2022, InSight was generating an average of 385-400 watt-hours of energy per Martian day, or sol. The tau, or level of dust cover in the atmosphere, was estimated at .99 (typical tau levels outside of dust season range from 0.6-0.7).

On July 9, 2022, InSight was generating an average of 399 watt-hours of energy per Martian day, or sol. The tau, or level of dust cover in the atmosphere, was estimated at 1.02 (typical tau levels outside of dust season range from 0.6-0.7).

On July 2, 2022, InSight was generating an average of 400 watt-hours of energy per Martian day, or sol. The tau, or level of dust cover in the atmosphere, was estimated at 1.02 (typical tau levels outside of dust season range from 0.6-0.7).

Fueling of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket is underway.

Good morning, and welcome to launch day for NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight). The first-ever mission to study the heart of Mars, will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Launch is targeted for 7:05 a.m. EDT (4:05 a.m. PDT), at the beginning of a two-hour launch window.

Today’s launch blog originates from the NASA News Center here at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, so event times may be provided in both Eastern and Pacific. Follow the launch countdown and launch at https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive.

The InSight mission and launch teams today concluded a successful Launch Readiness Review. There are no technical issues being worked at this time. Teams are proceeding for liftoff on Saturday, May 5, at 4:05 a.m. PDT/7:05 a.m. EDT on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA’s InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) spacecraft. The launch will be the first interplanetary launch from the West Coast.

A marine layer fog is expected over the launch pad and will reduce visibility on launch day to 3/4 – 1 1/2 miles. This Range Safety constraint of launch visibility is the only area of concern. The 30th Space Wing weather officer indicated the launch visibility requirement may be waived by Range Safety pending confirmation that all ground telemetry systems are operational during the countdown.

All other range safety constraints have a zero probability of violation.

Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 30th Space Wing predict a 20 percent chance of favorable weather for liftoff of United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket with NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft. The overall probability of violation will be 80 percent with the Range Safety constraint of launch visibility being the only area of concern.

The InSight launch is scheduled for Saturday, May 5, at 4:05 a.m. PDT/7:05 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster and Centaur upper stage are lifted for positioning on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 3. The rocket will launch NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, spacecraft for its trip to Mars.

While processing of the InSight spacecraft continues in the Astrotech facility at Vandenberg, the Atlas V booster was transported to the launch pad on March 3, 2018 (photo on the left). Three days later, technicians and engineers assisted as the Centaur upper stage was mated atop the Atlas V (photo on the right).

On March 8, the boattail fairing was mated atop the Centaur. The boattail is an adaptor providing an interface between the Centaur and the payload fairing encapsulating InSight. Once encapsulated in its payload faring, InSight will be transported to the launch pad and mounted atop the Atlas V. Liftoff is scheduled for May 5, 2018.

InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet’s interior by measuring its heat output and listening for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France’s space agency, the Centre National d’Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

Atlas booster photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
Centaur lift photo credit: USAF 30th Space Wing/Arron Taubman

Inside the Astrotech processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, spacecraft has been mounted on to a rotation fixture for testing. InSight is scheduled to launch May 5, atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for its trip to Mars.

InSight was developed and built by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, Colorado, and arrived at Vandenberg on Feb. 28 aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft. The spacecraft then was transported to the Astrotech facility at the West Coast launch site.

This mission will be the first to look deep beneath the Martian surface, studying the planet’s interior by measuring its heat output and listening for marsquakes. It will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the Red Planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

Photo credit: USAF 30th Space Wing/Alex Valdez