Posted: Mon, Aug 30, 2004, 7:53 AM ET (1153 GMT)
The launch of the final Atlas 2 was delayed for the third straight day on Sunday, this time because of weather. The Atlas 2AS was scheduled to lift off around 7 pm EDT (2300 GMT) Sunday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, but the threat of thunderstorms kept the rocket on the pad through the end of the launch window at 7:25 pm EDT (2325 GMT). Launch attempts on Friday and Saturday were delayed for technical reasons, although weather conditions those days were also unsettled enough to make a launch unlikely. The launch has been rescheduled for 6:53 pm EDT (2253 GMT) Monday, with forecasts calling for a 60 percent chance of unacceptable weather conditions. The rocket is carrying a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office only known as NROL-1; no other information about the spacecraft has been released. The launch will be the final mission for the Atlas 2 family of boosters, which is being retired to make way for the more powerful Atlas 5.

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