This Atlas 5 rocket failed to deliver its payload to the proper orbit on June 15, due to a faulty valve.
An Atlas 5 rocket launch again is being delayed to at least Oct. 9, this time to test the satellite following the discovery of an anomaly in the factory.
"The Atlas 5/WGS mission has been delayed in order to allow the spacecraft team to resolve an issue identified in testing of a similar satellite back at the factory," said 45th Space Wing spokesperson Ken Warren. "The current plan will support a launch date of no earlier than Oct. 9, 2007."
The launch had been scheduled for Sept. 21, delayed from Sept. 13 to allow more time to replace a fuel valve that froze up during the failed launch of a similar rocket in June.
The military communications satellite will be launched from Launch Complex 41.
The last Atlas 5 launch from Cape Canaveral was June 15.
A fuel leak during the flight caused the mission to fail to deliver its top-secret spy payloads to the right orbit.
The valve that caused the fuel leak has been replaced in both the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 fleets.
The next Atlas V will carry the first of five Wideband Global Satellites, which will provide as much communication power as the entire present system.
The Atlas delay is not expected to move the Sept. 26 launch of the Dawn spacecraft on a $450 million mission to the asteroid belt.
The first spacecraft to orbit two planetary bodies, the Dawn spacecraft will fly on a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket.
2 comments:
How can we blame this on the KSC strikers?
You can't blame them they've done nothing, as usual!
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