Wednesday, 23 April – Another big step for Biomass! This time, the action moved to the Control Center, now simulating and practising the final launch chronology procedure between the launch base, the VEGA launcher, the Biomass satellite team in CSG and the Ground Segment Operations team in ESOC (Darmstadt).
This full-scale simulation, known as the “Dress Rehearsal,” rehearses every step leading up to launch. For this exercise, lift-off was simulated at 16:00 UTC, with operations starting eight hours earlier. All teams were perfectly synchronized, following a common timeline, just as we will on the big day.
The outcome: a fully successful Dress Rehearsal. We are now ready for the real thing — launch is set for Tuesday, 29 April at 06:15:52 local time in Kourou (11:15:52 CET).
One thing we missed: a photo from inside the Check-Out Equipment Room, where the AIRBUS Satellite Operational Team is stationed. They are a crucial part of the launch sequence, commanding the spacecraft, monitoring its health, and configuring it for flight. No launch without them! We’ll make sure to snap that picture during the real countdown.
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