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Launch of Titan 4 Postponed
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Feb 26, A report from the Air Force announced that Titan 4 Launch has been delayed to Tuesday at the earliest. Here's the release from the 45th Space Wing here at the Cape, sent out just before 7 p.m. EST:
The Air Force will attempt to launch the Titan IV-B carrying a MILSTAR communications satellite no earlier than Tuesday, Feb 27. The launch window extends from 1:57 p.m. to 5:57 p.m. EST.
The cause of delay is a problem with the airborne telemetry system, which was identified late Thursday, is still being analyzed. The launch team will be working over the weekend to correct the problem and clear the way for a launch possible on Tuesday.
"This is a very important mission," said launch director, Lt. Col. David Jones. "We can't afford to take unnecessary risks and launch this critical MILSTAR satellite before we are confident in our entire launch system."
This MILSTAR satellite will join two satellites already in orbit. It is the first of three MILSTAR satellites that will provide increased tactical communications capabilities with Medium Data Rate circuits.
Officially this makes the planned Russian Soyuz launch of a Progress freighter early Monday the next launch from planet Earth. Liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan is expected at 3:09 a.m. EST.
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