Updated: Wed, Feb 12, 2003, 8:21 PM ET (0121 GMT)
Originally Posted: Wed, Feb 12, 2003, 8:27 AM ET (1327 GMT)
Poor weather has delayed for two consecutive days the final launch of the Ariane 4 launch vehicle. The Ariane 44L booster was scheduled to lift off from Kourou, French Guiana at 2 am EST (0700 GMT) Wednesday carrying the Intelsat 907 spacecraft, but high upper-altitude winds caused the launch to be scrubbed a few hours before liftoff. A second launch attempt for Thursday morning was also scrubbed late Wednesday, again because of high winds. The launch, when it does occur, will be the last for the Ariane 4 series of boosters which date back to the late 1980s. Arianespace planned the retirement of the Ariane 4 several years ago as the new, more powerful Ariane 5 entered service. Despite the failure of the first Ariane 5 ECA booster in December, Arianespace is planning a launch of a "generic" Ariane 5 booster — unaffected by the engine problems with the ECA version — in March.

Related Links:

•  PR Newswire press release
•  AFP article
•  BBC article