Posted: Fri, Sep 21, 2001, 7:55 PM ET (2355 GMT)
Inclement weather conditions forced controllers Friday to delay for a day the launch of an Athena rocket carrying NASA and Defense Department satellites. The Athena 1 booster was scheduled to launch on the "Kodiak Star" mission Friday at 9 pm EDT (0100 GMT Saturday), but a combination of clouds, wind, and rain caused controllers to postpone the launch hours before liftoff. The launch is now scheduled for Saturday at 9 pm EDT (0100 GMT Sunday) from the Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska. The Athena 1 carries four spacecraft: the Starshine 3 satellite for NASA and three small spacecraft sponsored by the Defense Department. The launch was previously scheduled for September 17 but delayed until the 21st after last week's terrorist attacks disrupted commercial air travel in the U.S., preventing launch personnel from getting to Kodiak.
