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The Delta 4 rocket will carry the third in a series of advanced Air Force communications satellites called Widefield Global SATCOM spacecraft. The 13,000-pound satellite will serve U.S. and allied troops on missions around the world, including those now fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The satellite provides a giant leap in communications bandwidth and technology and will replace the aging Defense Satellite Communication System.
The 217-foot-tall rocket is scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 7:23 p.m. The launch window extends until 8:47 p.m. The weather forecast, however, is not great. There is a 60 percent chance rain and electrically charged clouds could force a delay.
The Delta 4 had been set to launch Thursday but stiff high-altitude winds and thick electrically charged clouds kept the countdown on hold. A launch control system glitch, described as a minor technical problem, came as the close of the launch window approached.
Mission managers decided not to make another attempt until tonight to give engineers time to replace a faulty electronics card and allow a storm system time hopefully to pass through the area.
WGS satellites are designed to provide high-capacity communications to our nation's military forces. They will augment and eventually replace the aging Defense Satellite Communication System, which has been the Department of Defense's backbone for satellite communications over the past two decades. The satellite provides a giant leap in communications bandwidth and technology.
First launched in 2007, WGS will be a constellation of five satellites that will supply service for military leaders to command and control their tactical forces. WGS-3 will round out the remainder of the first phase of satellites.
The news from Satellite PR News.
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