spacetoday.net: Delta 4 GPS launch scrubbed again

Posted: Tue, May 25, 2010, 6:55 AM ET (1055 GMT)
The launch of the first of a new series of GPS satellites was postponed again Monday night because of a last-second technical problem with its launcher. The Delta 4 launch of the GPS 2F-1 satellite from Cape Canaveral was scrubbed during the final seconds of Monday night's countdown because of a problem with he thrust vector control system on one of the vehicles's two solid rocket boosters. The launch has been rescheduled to no earlier than Thursday night, after Wednesday's scheduled landing of the space shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft is the first in the Block 2F series of GPS satellites, built by Boeing, feature a new civil signal, increased accuracy, enhanced signal power for better resistance to jamming attempts, and a 12-year service life. The launch will also be the first time a GPS satellite has been launched on an EELV; GPS satellites had previously been launched for many years on Delta 2 rockets, which are now being phased out.