Posted: Wed, Aug 20, 2003, 11:03 AM ET (1503 GMT)
The US Air Force announced late Tuesday that the launch of a Titan 4B booster carrying a classified payload has been delayed until early September because of a glitch with the launch vehicle. The launch, which had been scheduled for Thursday, is now tentatively scheduled for September 6. Officials cited glitches with a sensor in the fuel tank of the vehicle's second stage, creating erratic readings that technicians could not immediately correct. The launch had already been delayed several delays because of a nitrogen tetroxide propellant leak during a fueling operation last week. Spaceflight Now reported that there were also unspecified problems with the National Reconnaissance Office payload that also led to this most recent delay. This delay could also force the delay of a military weather satellite scheduled for launch next month from Vandenberg Air Force Base; Spaceflight Now reported that the military had not planned to fuel that satellite until after the Titan 4 launch.

Related Links:

•  Florida Today article
•  Spaceflight Now article