Posted: Tue, Aug 20, 2002, 10:14 AM ET (1414 GMT)
High winds caused delayed the launch of a Proton booster carrying an American television broadcasting satellite early Tuesday. The Proton-K was scheduled to lift off from Baikonur at 1:15 am EDT (0515 GMT) Tuesday, but high winds aloft forced launch controllers to delay the launch. The launch is now scheduled for the same time Wednesday. The vehicle is carrying EchoStar 8, the latest direct television broadcasting satellite for EchoStar Communications Corporation. The launch was originally scheduled for late June but was delayed by a problem with the spacecraft. The delay sets up an unusual launch doubleheader: later Wednesday the maiden launch of the Atlas 5 — marketed, like the Proton, by International Launch Services — is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
