spacetoday.net: Rosetta launch scheduled for Tuesday

Posted: Mon, Mar 1, 2004, 2:48 PM ET (1948 GMT)
Rosetta spacecraft illustration (ESA)

The Ariane 5 launch of ESA's Rosetta comet mission has been rescheduled for early Tuesday, ESA announced Monday. The launch is scheduled for one of two instantaneous launch windows, at 2:17 or 2:37 am EST (0717 or 0737 GMT) from Kourou, French Guiana. The launch had been previously scheduled for early Friday, but was delayed when a chunk of insulation fell off the main body of the launch vehicle. The Ariane 5 was bright back to its assembly build to complete repairs over the weekend. A previous launch attempt early Thursday was postponed because of gusty high altitude winds. ESA has until March 17 to launch Rosetta on a 10-year mission to the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.