NASA POSTPONES SATELLITE LAUNCH

BBSNews via NASA - 2005-05-16 -- NASA's launch of the NOAA-N polar-orbiting environmental satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been postponed.

NOAA-N will launch no earlier than 6:22 a.m. EDT, Friday, May 20. The satellite has a 10-minute launch window.

After the launch attempt last Thursday, a vent hose in the launch vehicle broke loose possibly causing contamination of the payload. Samples must be taken from NOAA-N to ensure any possible contaminants do not exceed allowable limits. Launch managers will review test results before announcing a definite launch date.