Example of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V as it lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 carrying NASA's Twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) payload.
The launch of an Atlas V carrying the OTV-3 payload for the U.S. Air Force is rescheduled for November 13.
United Launch Alliance continues to collect and analyze data observed during the recent Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) IIF-3 launch. While the mission successfully placed the GPS satellite in a precise orbit, a lower than normal chamber pressure was observed on the Delta IV RL10 upper stage engine.
Although the Atlas V that will launch OTV-3 utilizes a different model of the RL10 engine, ULA leadership and the Air Force have decided to postpone the currently scheduled launch to allow an additional two weeks for the flight data anomaly investigation to progress to a point that will enable a thorough crossover assessment for the OTV launch to be completed. ULA is in close communication with the Air Force regarding the flight data anomaly investigation and will continue to ensure that a complete review is completed to reliably launch our customer's mission