NASA Again Delays Launch of Polar Weather Satellite
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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE — The oft-delayed launch of an Atlas rocket with a weather satellite has been delayed to Sept. 7 because of fuel seepage in the booster’s first-stage engine, officials said today.
Blastoff was originally set for June 6 but was delayed to Aug. 30 because of other engine problems. On Friday, NASA said launching had been rescheduled for Sept. 3.
The Atlas-E booster is a refurbished ICBM launched by the Air Force for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The satellite, which is to be in polar orbit, is to provide coverage of major weather systems.
Engineers are being extra cautious readying the rocket for blastoff because of the Jan. 28 Challenger disaster, the explosion of an unmanned Air Force Titan 34D rocket April 18 and the loss of a NASA Delta booster May 3.
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