Countdown clocks are ticking backward at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station tonight as the U.S. Air Force and United Launch Alliance gear up for the planned launch of a Delta II rocket and a military navigation satellite.
The 125-foot Delta II and irs payload -- Global Positioning System spacecraft IIR-20 -- are scheduled to blast off from Launch Complex 17A at 4:34 a.m. The launch team just adjusted the window. It will extend through 4:41 a.m.
The terminal countdown picked up at 1:34 a.m. at T-Minus 150 minutes and counting. There will be two built-in holds in the countdown: a 20-minute hold at T-Minus 15 minutes and a 10-minute hold at T-Minus 4 minutes.
Warning horns just sounded three times in the LC 17 area as all personnel not involved in the countdown are being cleared from the area. A Blast Danger Zone around the pad, which is located on the southern end of the launch base, also is being cleared by safety and security personnel.
The weather forecast is looking good. Launch Weather Officer Joel Tumbiolo has increased the probability that conditions will be acceptable for launch to 90 percent.
We'll post updates throughout the count, so be sure to refresh this page periodically. We'll also webcast the United Launch Alliance live broadcast of the final countdown beginning at 4:14 a.m. -- 20 minutes before liftoff.
Space news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral 
No comments:
Post a Comment