Posted: Thu, Apr 8, 2004, 3:50 PM ET (1950 GMT)
NASA has delayed the launch of the Gravity Probe B science mission two days because of ground equipment problems at the launch site. The spacecraft was scheduled to launch atop a Delta 2 on April 17, but the launch has now been delayed until 1:01 pm EDT (1701 GMT) on April 19. NASA officials said that technicians discovered an apparent short in ground equipment used to remotely monitor the voltage of a battery on the spacecraft. No problems are reported with the spacecraft itself, which has been mounted on the Delta 2 at SLC-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The long-delayed mission, which dates back some 40 years, is designed to provide a definitive test of Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  NASA ELV status report