United Launch Alliance teams have determined the cause behind a Delta IV Heavy rocket’s dramatic, last-second abort late last month, setting the stage for another attempt no earlier than next week, News 6 partner Florida Today reports.
We will replace or rebuild as needed, re-test, and then resume towards launch.”He said teams are currently targeting no earlier than Friday, Sept. 18, for the next pre-dawn attempt.
If the timeline holds, it will actually mark Delta IV Heavy’s third attempt to launch a secretive intelligence-gathering satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office known as NROL-44.
The first launch on Aug. 27 was scrubbed due to a pneumatics issue in ground support equipment.
Elsewhere on the Eastern Range, SpaceX is tentatively targeting about 12 hours before Delta IV Heavy – so next Thursday afternoon – for its next mission from Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A.