"We do it twice"

After the launch delay was announced, CryoSat-2 (CS-2) had to return from the Silo to the MIK till the modification of the 2nd stage engine software gives enough confidence that the best injection in orbit of the spacecraft can be achieved.

The CS-2 and Russian teams worked very hard last Saturday to get the Spacecraft out of the Silo and the heavy EGSE racks out of the bunker.
Due to long holiday week end on the Russian side (23/02 is a national day), this activity had absolutely to be done on Saturday February 2oth.

This is one of the picture reflecting this activity on Saturday 20/02.


As you see above, all the ingredients could have been there for the shot of a new nice James Bond movie but forget it today, it is just CS-2 safely loaded on he Jolly Green Giant leaving the Silo under escort and returning to the MIK for an unexpected "baby sitting"phase of the campaign.

This is a short movie of the last phase of this trip back: the crocodile entering backwards the site 31 area C of the MIK.


This trip to the Silo will have to be repeated when the campaign will resume, then the CryoSat-2 mission slogan "we do it twice'' may applied in this case unless " We only live twice!" could also be appropriate (?)

Anyway... let's wish that next one will be the good one!