Posted: Wed, Oct 29, 2003, 6:24 PM ET (2324 GMT)
High winds forced the postponement Wednesday of the Rockot launch of a Japanese technology satellite. The Rockot, a converted SS-19 missile, was scheduled to lift off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia on Wednesday morning, but officials delayed the launch because winds at some altitudes exceeded 80 meters per second, far above the vehicle's limit of 46 m/s. The launch has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 30, at 8:43 am EST (1343 GMT). When it does lift off, the Rockot will place into a sun-synchronous 1000-kilometer orbit the Space Environment Reliability Verification Integrated System 1 (SERVIS-1) satellite. SERVIS-1 is a project of Japan's Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer designed to test the viability of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics components in space.

Related Links:

•  RIA Novosti article
•  AFP article
•  Interfax article