Delta IV rocket launch delayed from Vandenberg on Friday

Update, 11:40 a.m. Sunday

The launch scheduled for Saturday was called off “due to an unexpected condition,” just seven seconds before launch, the United Launch Alliance said in a tweet. Additional details, including a new launch date, were not immediately available.

Original story:

A glitch has scrubbed the planned Friday night launch of the Delta IV Heavy rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base, according to the United Launch Alliance.

Liftoff of the United Launch Alliance booster from Space Launch Complex-6 on South Base had been aiming for 8:19 p.m. “The launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy carrying the NROL-71 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office was scrubbed today due to an issue with a redundant communication link between the control center and the launch site,” ULA representatives said in a written statement sent about three hours before the rocket’s scheduled departure.

The team is prepping try again in 24 hours, they added. A launch on Saturday would aim for an 8:06 p.m. blastoff. Weather conditions will get slightly better for Saturday’s attempt with just a 40-percent likelihood that conditions will delay the mission. The huge rocket will carry a top-secret payload into space for the National Reconnaissance Office.

This story was originally published December 8, 2018 at 9:02 PM.