Posted: Tue, Aug 31, 2004, 11:10 AM ET (1510 GMT)
For the fourth consecutive day, the launch of a classified satellite on the final Atlas 2 booster was delayed, again because of weather conditions. The launch, scheduled for just before 7 pm EDT (2300 GMT) Monday from Cape Canaveral, was scrubbed because of the presence of thunderstorms in the vicinity of the launch pad. The launch has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 6:49 pm EDT (2249 GMT). The launch has been scrubbed four times now, twice because of technical problems and twice because of weather. The rocket is carrying a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office only known as NROL-1; no other information about the spacecraft has been released. The launch will be the final mission for the Atlas 2 family of boosters, which is being retired to make way for the more powerful Atlas 5.
