spacetoday.net: ATV launch scrubbed

Posted: Wed, Feb 16, 2011, 6:54 AM ET (1154 GMT)
Ariane 5 before ATV-2 launch (Arianespace)

The launch of Europe's second cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station was scrubbed late Tuesday because of a last-minute glitch. A "measurement anomaly" with the liquid oxygen tank on the Ariane 5's core stage stopped the countdown to Tuesday's planned launch for the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) 2 spacecraft, also named Johannes Kepler. The launch has been rescheduled for Wednesday at 4:50 pm EST (2120 GMT). The ATV-2 carries over seven metric tons of payload for the station, including 4.5 metric tons of propellant that will be used to maintain the station's orbit. A delay in the launch of the spacecraft could also delay the launch of the shuttle Discovery this month in order to coordinate operations at the ISS: a launch Wednesday would push back Discovery's launch one day, to February 25.