Posted: Sat, Jan 20, 2001, 12:53 PM ET (1753 GMT)
A payload glitch has delayed Saturday's scheduled launch of a Titan 2 booster from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California for at least one day. A commanding problem with the DMSP F16 spacecraft, first noticed six and a half minutes before the 8:58 am EST (1358 GMT) liftoff, forced launch controllers to scrub the launch when the problem could not be corrected before the end of the 10-minute launch window. The launch has been tentatively rescheduled for Sunday at the same time, provided that the problem can be corrected. The spacecraft is part of Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and will be placed in a circular low-Earth polar orbit to provide weather data that will aid American military operations. Instruments on the spacecraft will also study the space weather environment.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now launch report