Delta 4 Heavy launch delayed

A classified spy satellite launch set for late September is moving back a few weeks at the request of the National Reconnaissance Office.

United Launch Alliance says the target liftoff date for the NROL-26 spacecraft is now Oct. 17. The spacecraft, which is classified, will ride atop a heavy model of the Delta 4 rocket, the biggest in the United States' fleet.

The launch window is not publicly released this far in advance of an NRO mission.
The move would put the mission's launch after NASA's launch of the space shuttle Atlantis to the Hubble Space Telescope. It creates a jam-packed fall launch calendar for Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the last quarter.

You can check out our full launch calendar here.

Meanwhile, we're very interested in your feedback on our launch calendar. We're revamping the format and we would love to know what information you would like to see included or linked up with the launch schedule. If you've got ideas, drop me a note at jkelly@floridatoday.com.

Image note: A Delta 4 Heavy lifts off and arcs over the Space Coast last November in this shot by Malcolm Denemark of FLORIDA TODAY. Click on the picture to open a bigger version.