NASA's latest space telescope has faced a series of delays that pushed
back its June 7 launch date to June 11 at the earliest.
The
Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST)
is now being readied for launch on a Delta 2 rocket sometime between 11:45 a.m.
and 1:40 p.m. EDT (1545-1740 GMT) on June 11 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in
Florida.
Five separate launch delays have kept GLAST
Earth-bound. The original May 16 launch date for the roughly 9,486-pound
(4,303-kg) space telescope ended up being
postponed because of equipment damage during installation of the Delta 2's
second stage. The launch team cancelled a June 3
launch date after a Flight Readiness Review, and similarly delayed launch
plans for June 5, June 7, and June 8.
The
most recent postponement comes because additional time was needed to replace
the Delta 2 rocket's flight termination system battery, NASA said in a press
statement. The problem first appeared on Wednesday, June 8.
Scientists
plan to use the $690 million GLAST to uncover more
cosmic sources of high-energy gamma rays than ever before, including black
holes, pulsars, and dark matter. The space telescope's findings may expand
knowledge of the current and past universe, as well as possibly challenge our
current understanding of physics.
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