CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A $700 million mission to launch Americas newest missile warning satellite is being rescheduled for early March after extensive inspections revealed the spacecraft suffered no damage during a recent launch pad incident.

Capable of instantaneously detecting missile launches anywhere in the world, the $250 million Pentagon spacecraft now is scheduled to be launched at 2:57 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 1.

Its ride into space: An 18-story Air Force Titan 4-B rocket, which is the most powerful expendable launch vehicle made in the United States.

The $432 million Titan 4-B had been scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral Air Stations Launch Complex 40 on January 30. The flight, however, was postponed after oil dripped from an overhead crane at the complex onto a protective nosecone being installed around the spacecraft.

The incident occurred December 22 as workers were attempting to mount the nosecone around the spacecraft to protect it from rain and other inclement weather over the Christmas and New Years holidays.

Extensive inspections of both the spacecraft and the Titan rocket nosecone were ordered to make certain sensitive infrared sensors on the satellite were not contaminated.

Engineers examined the spacecraft with ultraviolet and white light but found no traces of oil. A protective bag was removed so engineers could inspect the satellites sensors, which passed all cleanliness tests. Finally, a new bag was installed around the sensors to protect them when technicians install the rockets nosecone; work now scheduled to begin Thursday.

Small drops of oil initially found on the nosecone were wiped up and the contaminated area was cleaned with solvent. A diaper was fitted on the launch complex crane to contain any additional leaks.

Built by TRW Inc. of Redondo Beach, California, Defense Support Program satellites can instantaneously spot missile and space launches as well as nuclear detonations -- anywhere in the world.

Operating some 22,300 miles above the planet, the 30-foot-tall spacecraft are outfitted infrared sensors that detect the heat from a missile or rocket exhaust plume against the cooler backdrop of Earth.

The satellites played a key role in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, spotting Iraqi Scud missile launches targeted at coalition forces in Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.

The March 1 mission is considered important because the last Air Force attempt to launch a DSP spacecraft turned out to be a $682 million bust.

A Titan 4-B rocket carried one of the craft aloft last April 9 but the satellite was stranded in a useless orbit after an upper-stage booster failure.