spacetoday.net: Weather delays Delta 4 Heavy launch

Weather delays Delta 4 Heavy launch

Posted: Wed, Jun 27, 2012, 7:28 AM ET (1128 GMT)
Heavy rains associated with a tropical storm have pushed back the launch of an NRO satellite on a Delta 4 Heavy from Thursday to Friday, United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced Tuesday. ULA had planned to launch the Delta 4 Heavy from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday morning, but said Tuesday it would push back the launch to Friday because of recent heavy rains from Tropical Storm Debby and a poor forecast for the planned launch time. The launch is now planned for Friday in a launch window that opens at 6:13 am EDT and lasts for several hours. The rocket is launching on mission NROL-15 for the National Reconnaissance Office, carrying a classified payload that some speculate is a "stealth" version of a reconnaissance satellite.