NASA and United Launch Alliance managers have given engineers the go-ahead to begin loading supercold liquid oxygen into the first stage of a 13-story Delta 2 rocket being readied for launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
No technical problems are being worked and the launch team still is targeting 7:20 a.m. as the T-zero liftoff time. The launch window today will extend until 7:49 a.m.
Live NASA TV coverage of the launch is being webcast here in The Flame Trench. Click the link being the images above to launch our NASA TV viewer.
NASA Launch Director Omar Baez told engineers that the team would not be able to launch between 7:27 and 7:34 p.m. because a spacecraft would be passing too close to the Delta 2's flight path. The launch window cutout is called a "COLA" for Collision Avoidance."
The weather for today's launch attempt is trending toward the good. Launch Weather Officer Joel Tumbiolo told the team that he is considering reducing the percentage chance that early morning showers might prohibit launch. Showers building over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Melbourne are pushing due east and might not have an impact on launch operations.
Check out the United Launch Alliance Dawn Mission Book for countdown timelines. Just click to open and save your copy: DawnMissionBook.pdf.
The official NASA Press Kit here: DawnPressKit.pdf.
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