spacetoday.net: Delta 2 launch scrubbed

Posted: Wed, Feb 4, 2009, 7:03 AM ET (1203 GMT)
The launch of a weather satellite on a Delta 2 was scrubbed Wednesday morning because of a technical problem. The Delta 2 was scheduled to launch at 5:22 am EST (1022 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to launch the NOAA-N Prime satellite. However, the launch was scrubbed 30 minutes before the scheduled liftoff time because of a problem with a gaseous nitrogen purge system on the launch pad. The launch is rescheduled for the same time Thursday, provided that the problem can be corrected in time, although forecasts call for only a 20 percent chance of acceptable weather. The polar-orbiting weather satellite, the last in the current series of such spacecraft, suffered two mishaps during its manufacturing, including an infamous incident in 2003 when the spacecraft slipped off a stand and fell to a floor, incurring over $200 million in repair costs.