Posted: Sun, Jun 17, 2012, 8:30 PM ET (0030 GMT)
The launch of a classified payload on an Atlas 5 rocket has been delayed from Monday to Wednesday to replace a faulty component, United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced Sunday. The Atlas 5 401 was scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Monday morning, carrying a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payload on a mission designated NROL-38. After the rocket was rolled out to the launch pad Saturday, though, technicians found a problem with an environmental control system duct that failed in an unspecified manner. The rocket will be rolled back to its integration building to replace the duct, a process that will delay the launch until Wednesday.
