http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/MetOp_A_Launch_Delayed_A_Second_Time_999.h tml
MetOp-A Launch Delayed A Second Time by Staff Writers Moscow, Russia (SPX) Jul 19, 2006 The launch of the MetOp-A satellite has been postponed for the second straight day due to an anomaly on one piece of equipment of the Soyuz launch vehicle. The next scheduled launch attempt has not yet been announced. F. Maroquene, vice president of sales and marketing for Starsem, the Russian launch company said in a statement that investigations are still ongoing. The launch of MetOp-A, designed to improve monitoring of weather systems and climate, also was postponed Monday due to problems with the Soyuz rocket. No other specifics have been provided. The launch, when it is rescheduled, will be conducted at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. MetOp-A is 17.6-meters (58 feet) long, including solar panels, and it weighs more than 4 tons. Considered the most complex satellite of its kind, it carries a dozen instruments to measure global weather patterns. MetOp-A and two sister satellites, scheduled to be launched in the next few years, are designed to provide the highest quality data yet available for weather forecasting and climate monitoring. The project, a cooperative effort of ESA, EUMETSAT and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, carries an estimated cost of 2.4 billion euros ($3 billion). Gregory S. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
