spacetoday.net: Ares 1-X launch scrubbed

Posted: Wed, Oct 28, 2009, 6:47 AM ET (1047 GMT)
Ares 1-X launch illustration (NASA)

NASA scrubbed Tuesday's attempted launch of the Ares 1-X rocket after weather and other issues developed during the morning. The rocket, a suborbital prototype of the planned Ares 1 rocket that will launch the Orion crewed spacecraft, was to launch during a four-hour window that opened at 8 am EDT (1200 GMT) Tuesday. However, weather conditions were initially unsuitable for launch. When weather conditions did improve, technicians had problems removing a cover over sensors on top of the 100-meter-tall rocket, and then the countdown was halted when a cargo ship entered restricted waters off Cape Canaveral. Weather again became a problem late in the countdown, forcing controllers to scrub the launch for the day. NASA will attempt to launch Ares 1 again Wednesday in the same four-hour window.