spacetoday.net: NASA clears launch of first Mars rover

Posted: Wed, Jun 4, 2003, 11:24 PM ET (0324 GMT)
Mars Exploration Rover (NASA/JPL)

NASA has given its approval for plans to launch the first of two Mars Exploration Rovers this Sunday, although weather could delay the launch. NASA approved plans for a June 8 launch after a flight readiness review held Wednesday morning. The MER-A rover is scheduled for launch at 2:05:55 pm EDT (1805:55 GMT) on a Delta 2 7925 from Cape Canaveral. Weather may prove to be an issue, though, with current forecasts calling for a 60 percent chance of unacceptable weather for launch; similar odds of bad weather are also forecast for Monday and Tuesday. NASA has through June 19 to launch MER-A. A twin rover, MER-B, is still scheduled for launch on June 25 on the maiden flight of the Delta 2 Heavy, a version of the Delta 2 that uses the larger strap-on boosters originally developed for the Delta 3. The two rovers are scheduled to land on Mars on January 4 and 25, 2004, and spend at least 90 days exploring the surface.