spacetoday.net: Ground issue delays Delta launch

Posted: Thu, Jul 24, 2014, 8:56 AM ET (1256 GMT)
An issue with ground equipment postponed the launch of space surveillance satellites for the US Air Force by 24 hours. The Delta 4 Medium+ (4,2) rocket was slated to launch Wednesday evening from Cape Canaveral, but the launch was postponed because of an issue with the ground support equipment environmental control system that supports the rocket on the pad, United Launch Alliance (ULA) said in a statement. The launch is now planned for 6:59 pm EDT (2259 GMT) Thursday, at the beginning of a 65-minute launch window. Weather could be an issue for the launch, with only a 30% chance of favorable weather. The launch is for a mission titled AFSPC-4, carrying two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites and one Automated Navigation and Guidance Experiment for Local Space (ANGELS) satellite. The satellites will support surveillance of other satellites and debris, particularly in geosynchronous orbit. The existence of the GSSAP program was publicly revealed by the Air Force just earlier this year.