Bad battery forces delay of Delta II launch at Vandenberg
Plans to launch a Delta II rocket and its new weather satellite to space later this week from Vandenberg Air Force Base have been thwarted by a faulty battery.
Liftoff of the United Launch Alliance rocket, once planned for 1:47 a.m. Friday, won’t occur before Nov. 14 at the earliest, officials said Monday.
The rocket is set to carry the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, the first of a new series of environmental spacecraft officials say will help improve weather forecasting.
ULA officials blamed a faulty battery for the postponement.
“The delay allows the team time to replace the battery on the Delta II booster,” ULA officials said in a written statement. “The vehicle and spacecraft remain stable.”
A faulty battery also was to blame for the delay of an Atlas V rocket launch from Vandenberg in September.
This mission, a cooperative effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA, is the latest polar-orbiting weather satellite to launch from Vandenberg.
Delta II rockets blast off from Space Launch Complex-2, noticeable for its blue tower, near Vandenberg’s airfield.
Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Bad battery forces delay of Delta II launch at Vandenberg."