Controllers for NASA’s Space Technology 5 mission said the weather has improved at Vandenberg and there is an 80-percent chance it will be favorable at the scheduled launch time early Wednesday morning.
The Pegasus rocket carrying the triple satellite payload for ST5 is now set for release from its carrier L-1011 aircraft at 6:02 a.m. Pacific Time. The nearly five-hour countdown to launch is set to start at 1:20 a.m. PT.
All rocket systems have passed their ground tests, NASA said in a statement.
The ST5 project, which involves launching three micro-satellites into timed orbits to test theories about Earth’s magnetic field, is part of NASA’s New Millennium Program, which was created “to identify, develop, build, and test innovative technologies and concepts for use in future missions.”
The ST5 mission is designed to last 90 days.
