Posted: Wed, Aug 13, 2008, 8:42 AM ET (1242 GMT)
Two launches of commercial satellites planned for later this month were delayed Tuesday, and in one case could be postponed for months. The Measat 3a communications satellite was scheduled for launch on August 21 on a Land Launch Zenit-3SLB from Baikonur, but over the weekend the spacecraft was damaged when a crane at the launch processing facility accidentally ran into the spacecraft. A damage assessment is expected to take several weeks, according to a statement by spacecraft manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corporation, and could delay the launch by months if the spacecraft needs to be returned to the US to repair the damage. Separately, the August 22 launch of the GeoEye-1 commercial remote sensing satellite from Vandenberg has been pushed back to September 4. A telemetry aircraft normally used to support launches is unavailable, and range officials will instead use a ship located in the Pacific well downrange of the launch site to relay data from the launch, hence the delay.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article about Measat 3a
•  Space News article (subscription required)
•  Spaceflight Now article about GeoEye-1
•  Orbital press release about Measat 3a
•  GeoEye press release