Launch Pad Glitch Prompts Third Delay for NOAA-N Weather Probe

Today's scheduled California liftoff of the Boeing Delta 2 rocket to deploy the latest polar-orbiting weather satellite was scrubbed by electrical gremlins in the system that floods the launch pad with critical cooling and sound-dampening water during the fiery blastoff.

"We have scrubbed for the day due to insufficient time to deal with an electrical problem at the launch pad associated with the water deluge system pumps and the electrical system feeding the pump house," NASA spokesman George Diller said.

After back-to-back postponements for strong winds that prevented retracting the pad's service tower on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, this third countdown appeared to be going smoothly. But engineers began wrestling with the pump problems as clocks entered the final hours.

Officials delayed loading super-cold liquid oxygen into the rocket's first stage while troubleshooting continued at Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex-2 West pad. In the end, the prospect of performing the repair job, fueling the rocket and completing the countdown for liftoff during the day's tight 10-minute launch window was too much to accomplish.

The Delta rocket must launch between 1022:01 and 1032:01 GMT (6:22:01-6:32:01 a.m. EDT; 3:22:01-3:32:01 a.m. PDT) to haul the 3,100-pound NOAA-N weather satellite into its precise polar orbit, leaving little margin to deal with last-minute issues that arise in the countdown.

"We have a decision by Boeing Mission Director Rich Murphy and NASA Launch Manager Omar Baez that we will scrub for today," Diller announced from the management control center at 0900 GMT. "There is not enough time to complete the work necessary at the pump house to resolve the electrical problems and still meet our launch window. This is currently planned to be a 24-hour scrub."

This will be the SLC-2W pad's first launch in almost a year. The most recent mission came last July when a Delta 2 booster launched NASA's Aura environmental satellite.

Aside from the pad glitch, there were no significant problems reported with the rocket, NOAA-N spacecraft or Range during today's countdown. Although the launch site was covered with a dense layer of fog, weather conditions were acceptable for flight, too.

The weather forecast for Saturday's launch opportunity calls for another foggy morning with stratus clouds hanging over Vandenberg at 500 feet and tops at 1,500 feet, three miles of visibility, temperatures in the low 50's F, northerly winds at 10 to 15 knots. There is a zero percent chance of violating the launch weather rules.

The target launch time remains the same on Saturday -- 1022 GMT (6:22 a.m. EDT; 3:22 a.m. PDT).

The NOAA-N spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, will orbit 540 miles above the planet to provide meteorologists with imagery, temperature measurements and atmospheric profiles needed for weather forecasting. The satellite will replace the aging NOAA-16 craft, launched in September 2000, that has experienced some instrument problems and well-surpassed its two-year design life.

NOAA-N, which will be renamed NOAA-18 upon its successful delivery in space, builds upon 45 years of weather monitoring by U.S. polar-orbiting satellites.

This particular satellite, its instruments, Delta rocket and assorted support costs amount to $341 million.

You can follow Saturday's early morning countdown and the ascent to orbit in our live Mission Status Center.