MAY 23 UPDATE: Sunday's launch attempt of the Delta IV rocket with the next-generation Global Positioning System satellite GPS IIF SV-1 has been scrubbed again. Launch has been rescheduled for Monday night. According to a USAF press release:
"Mission managers require additional time to validate the modified approach to monitor the Global Positioning System satellite telemetry signal... The next launch attempt has been set for Monday, May 24, with a launch window of 11:13-11:31 p.m. EDT. The weather forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather during the launch window." CAPE CANAVERAL, AFS - The Air Force will have to wait another couple days to send the first of a new family of Global Positioning System Satellites into orbit. Last night's launch attempt was called off with just minutes left in the countdown when a communication issue between the spacecraft and ground equipment couldn't be resolved in time to beat the close of the 18-minute launch window. DOCUMENTS DELTA IV / GPS IIF SV-1 MISSION BOOK • READ (PDF) FREE VIDEO LAUNCH DIRECTOR SCRUBS THE MISSION AT T-4:02 • WATCH | DOWNLOAD PRELAUNCH VEHICLE AND SPACECRAFT PROCESSING • WATCH | DOWNLOAD DELTA MISSION PROFILE ANIMATION • WATCH | DOWNLOAD ALL-ACCESS MEMBER VIDEO DOWNLOADS REPLAY OF THE ENTIRE LAUNCH WEBCAST • DOWNLOAD The launch of GPS IIF SV-1 has been rescheduled for Sunday night. Mission managers had initially set up for a 24-hour scrub, but decided 48 hours would be required in order to fully resolve the telemetry issue. "Mission managers expect the telemetry signal issue between the Global Positioning System satellite and the satellite ground support equipment that caused the scrub of Friday's launch attempt to be resolved in time for a launch attempt Sunday," said a statement from the Air Force following last night's scrub. The countdown had been extremely smooth before the communications glitch cropped up late in the countdown. The launch team extended the built-in hold at T-5 minutes while engineers worked to troubleshoot the problem. After the launch was reset for the very end of the window, 11:43 p.m. EDT, the count picked up while the team monitored the state of the spacecraft. Less than a minute later, the Launch Director called out "hold, hold hold. This is the LD, the SV is no-go" and stopped the count at T-4:02. With no time left in the window, the launch team immediately went into post-scrub safing procedures and preparing for a 24-hour turnaround. A couple hours, it was announced the delay would be two days, setting the stage for a Sunday night launch attempt. Sunday's launch window is 11:17-11:35 p.m. EDT. The weather forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather during the launch window. The GPS IIF system brings next-generation performance to the constellation. The GPS IIF vehicle is critical to U.S. national security and sustaining GPS constellation availability for global civil, commercial and defense applications. Besides sustaining the GPS constellation, IIF features increased capability and improved mission performance and longevity. This is a mission of several important firsts. Not only is it the first IIF to be launched, this will be the first GPS satellite to ride on the Delta IV launch vehicle. (The Spacearium / SpaceflightNews.net)
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