Posted: Wed, Sep 19, 2001, 12:19 AM ET (0419 GMT)
NASA's Deep Space 1 spacecraft is on track to make a flyby of Comet Borrelly Saturday evening, the space agency announced Tuesday. The spacecraft will pass 2,000 kilometers from the comet's nucleus at 6:30 pm EDT (2230 GMT) Saturday and collect images and other data, if all goes well. The flyby is considered to be "extra credit" for the spacecraft, launched in October 1998 on a one-year mission to test advanced technologies such as ion drives... NASA also confirmed Tuesday that September 21 is the launch date for "Kodiak Star", an Athena 1 rocket carrying several small satellites for NASA and the Defense Department. The launch was scheduled for September 17 but delayed after commercial flight restrictions enacted after last week's terrorist attacks prevented personnel from getting to the launch site in Kodiak, Alaska. The launch, scheduled for 9 pm EDT (0100 GMT Sept. 22), is the second launch scheduled to take place Friday: a Taurus rocket is scheduled for launch earlier in the day from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the OrbView 4 commercial imaging satellite and NASA's QuickTOMS ozone monitoring satellite.

Related Links:

•  NASA press release about Deep Space 1
•  NASA/KSC press release about Kodiak Star launch