Posted: Sat, May 14, 2005, 9:19 AM ET (1319 GMT)
The launch of a weather satellite on a Delta 2 has been delayed until late next week after a mishap took place on the pad Friday. NASA officials said a vent hose became disconnected when technicians were draining kerosene from the vehicle's first stage after Friday's launch scrub. Because of concern that hydrocarbons may have entered the payload fairing, contaminating the NOAA-N satellite. The delay will allow technicians to take samples and determine if any contamination will take place. The launch has been rescheduled for no sooner than Thursday, May 19. NOAA-N is the latest in a series of Polar Operational Environmental Satellites that complement other weather satellites in geosynchronous orbit, providing atmospheric sounding and other data.

Related Links:

•  AP article
•  Spaceflight Now launch status center