Live At The Cape: Delta Aims For Early AM Launch

A Delta II rocket is perched on its oceanside launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as the U.S. Air Force and United Launch Alliance prepare to pick up a countdown for an overnight launch.

A 150-foot-tall gantry at Launch Complex 17A was backed away from the 12-story rocket earlier tonight, and the terminal countdown to launch is slated to pick up at 1:34 a.m. Liftoff is scheduled during a five-minute launch window that will open at 4:34 a.m.

The prime payload for the mission: Global Positioning System spacecraft IIR-20.

The emblem for the mission features cartoon hero Mighty Mouse, and you can click the JPEG to the left to see an inset on a Delta II mission poster.

The Air Force and United Launch Alliance say Mighty Mouse characterizes heritage and is an important icon in American history and American culture -- just like the Global Positioning System spacecraft that provides navigation services that now are ubiquitous.

Moreover, the Delta II is the smallest United Launch Alliance rocket, but it always comes through to "save the day" -- just like Mighty Mouse. It's one of the most reliable rocket in the Air Force's inventory.

The arrow in the background signifies the booster as it lifts off from Earth.

The NAVSTAR represents the GPS satellite atop the "mighty" Delta II.

The additional 19 stars in the background illustrate the previous 19 GPS IIR missions. The one small yellow star touching the surface of the planet represents GPS IIR-1, which was lost in a launch failure.

The weather for launch looks good.

Air Force meteorologists say there's an 80 percent chance that conditions will be acceptable for launch. The main concern is the possibility that showers might sweep into the area during the launch window.

Check out the details in the Official Launch Forecast from the Air Force 45th Space Wing Weather Squadron, which provides forecasting services for all launches from Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center.

The Air Force is asking mariners to steer clear of launch hazard area off the coast of Cape Canaveral between 2:30 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. Click here for a map of the Launch Hazard Area.

The terminal countdown for the launch will begin about 1:34 a.m. We'll have live updates throughout and you can also watch live video coverage of the final countdown and launch right here in The Flame Trench beginning about 20 minutes prior to liftoff.

You can follow along with the terminal countdown by checking out the bar chart in this United Launch Alliance Delta-GPS II-R20 Mission Booklet See pages 14 and 15.

ABOUT THE TOP IMAGE: Click to enlarge the NASA image of a Delta II rocket being readied to launch the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope last year. You can also click the enlarged image to get an even bigger view. Photo Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis.