spacetoday.net: ESA delays next ATV launch

ESA delays next ATV launch

Posted: Sat, Mar 3, 2012, 11:51 AM ET (1651 GMT)
ATV illustration (ESA)

The European Space Agency announced Friday that it has delayed the upcoming launch of an ISS cargo spacecraft in order to perform additional checks on the vehicle's contents. The ATV-3 spacecraft, also called Edoardo Amaldi, was scheduled to launch March 9 on an Ariane 5 from Kourou, French Guiana. However, ESA announced Friday the spacecraft would be delayed to perform "additional measures" to ensure the vehicle is ready to launch. Later reports indicated that the delay is required to tighten loose straps inside the vehicle that holds cargo in place. That work requires removing the launch vehicle fairing that had already been installed around the vehicle, a process that takes several days. No new launch date has been formally announced, but a delay of about two weeks is expected.