Nasa rocket test launch delayed by weather
Nasa rocket test launch delayed by weather at Kennedy Space Centre
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Tuesday, 27, Oct 2009 04:13
Nasa's new rocket launch has been delayed by bad weather at the Kennedy Space Centre.
The Ares I-X flight test rocket was ready for launch at 08:00 EDT (12:00 GMT) from the centre in Florida, but poor weather conditions delayed the launch from its four-hour launch window.
The 100m-long unmanned test rocket Ares will test new technology during the flight. The space agency hasn't designed a new launch vehicle for the last 30 years, so expectations are high for the Ares, which is the longest, thinnest space craft ever built by Nasa.
The I-X has been designed to be as close as possible to the eventual Ares I rocket. A statement from Nasa reads: "Nasa's first flight test for the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system, called Ares I-X, will bring Nasa one step closer to its exploration goals.
"The flight test will provide Nasa with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I."
The two-minute flight will see the Ares I-X travel to a height of 28-miles.
"I am proud of the work this team has done to ready this test rocket for launch," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for Nasa Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.
"This is the first time in more than 30 years that Nasa has built a vehicle in a new configuration so this has been a valuable learning experience.
"This test will yield important data to support the nation's next steps in exploration. There is no substitute for hard data - flight testing clarifies the distinction between imagined outcomes and real flight experience."