The SDO observatory was launched on February 11, 2010, 10:23 am EST. SDO is
now in the "Launch and Early Operations" phase of mission development,
during which the instruments and spacecraft are turned on and tested on
orbit. At the same time, ground system is used to control the spacecraft and
accept the data from the instruments and subsystems. Once the spacecraft and
instruments are commissioned SDO will begin its observing of the Sun. This
prime observing phase of SDO is planned to last five years - almost half a
solar cycle - with the possibility of a 5-year extension.
- May 1-6, 2011
- LWS/SDO-1 Science Workshop, The Many Spectra of Solar Activity - Squaw Valley, CA
- May 1, 2010
- Transition to Phase E
- April 21, 1010
- First Light Press Conference, Newseum, Washington, DC
- February 11, 2010, 10:23 am EST
- Launch of SDO
- July 21-22, 2009
- Flight Operations Readiness Review
- June 4, 2009
- Pre-ship Review II
- January 21-22, 2009
- Pre-ship Review I
- December 18, 2009
- SDO passes its Mission Readiness Briefing at NASA HQ
- July 29-August 16, 2008
- SDO passed the Thermal Vacuum Test in the SES chamber
- July 16-25, 2008
- SDO passed the Thermal Balance Test in the SES chamber
- May 25-June 2, 2008
- SDO passed the Vibration and Acoustic tests in Building 10 at Goddard
- April 13-20, 2008
- SDO passed the EMI/EMC Tests in Building 7 at Goddard
- January 5, 2008
- Instrument installed on spacecraft bus, SDO becomes an observatory!
- November 30, 2007
- AIA instrument arrived
- November 14, 2007
- HMI instrument arrived
- October 27, 2007
- Propulsion module placed inside spacecraft bus.
- September 25, 2007
- EVE instrument arrived
- April 5-7, 2005
- Passed Critical Design Review (CDR) at GSFC
- June 1, 2004
- SDO/LWS Confirmation Review at NASA HQ, Transition to Phase C
- March 22-26, 2004
- First SDO Science Workshop in Boulder, CO
- March 9-12, 2004
- Preliminary Design Review
- September 3, 2003
- Initial Confirmation Review at NASA HQ (SDO Project), transition to Phase B
- April 8-11, 2003
- Systems Concept Review (SDO Project with instrument team participation) in Greenbelt, MD
- December 3-5, 2002
- SDO Project Mission Definition Retreat (GSFC project and instrument teams) NASA GSFC
- November 13-15, 2002
- 2nd LWS Community Workshop at JHUAPL
- March 7, 2002
- SDO Science Kick-off Meeting
- January 18, 2002
- SDO Announcement of Opportunity Released: AO-02-OSS-01
- July 2001
- SDO Science Definition Team Report Released
- April 24, 2001
- SDO Announcement of Opportunity Proposals Due
- November 2000 - July 2001
- SDO Definition Team Activities
- July 2000
- LWS Preformulation Study Released
- May 10-12, 2000
- 1st LWS Community Workshop at GSFC