The launch of the international Aquarius/SAC-D mission has been postponed for 24 hours until Friday, June 10, from NASA's Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The 5-minute launch window opens at 7:20 a.m. PDT (10:20 a.m. EDT). The new launch date will allow the launch team to complete additional review of an inconsistency found in the Delta II launch vehicle flight profile for wind conditions on the day of launch. These data are used to steer the Delta II through upper level winds. The weather forecast for June 10 shows a 100 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch. The Aquarius/SAC-D (Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas) observatory is a collaboration between NASA and Argentina's space agency, Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE).
Inside the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA’s Aquarius spacecraft is secure inside the United Launch Alliance’s Delta II payload fairing. Image credit: NASA/VAFB