CAPE CANVERAL, Fla. — The Atlas V rocket carrying the NROL-101 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) was delayed again after crews reported a problem with a ground system valve.
PHOTOS: Rocket launches from Central Florida
The mission, originally scheduled for Tuesday, had been postponed due to an issue with the upper payload.
On Wednesday, just after 4 p.m., there was an unplanned hold while crews checked a “ground valve issue” in the rocket’s first stage.
An unplanned hold is being inserted into the countdown while the launch team examines a ground valve issue with the liquid oxygen system for the #AtlasV first stage. Troubleshooting is underway. https://t.co/M91ugJaYds
— ULA (@ulalaunch) November 4, 2020
ULA said a team had been dispatched to the pad to examine hardware in the liquid oxygen storage area for the Atlas first stage and the countdown was on hold.
Then just before 6 p.m., ULA Mission Director Col. Chad Davis made the decision to postpone the launch.
ULA officials said they hope to attempt another launch Friday.
Mission Director Col. Chad Davis has declared a scrub. ULA Launch Director Tom Heter III has relayed the decision to the launch team that launch operations will not continue tonight. We will be postured for another attempt in 48 hours. https://t.co/XwIVipKr0D
— ULA (@ulalaunch) November 4, 2020
If all goes according to plan this will be ULA’s 29th mission launched for the National Reconnaissance Office and the 17th NRO mission launched on an Atlas V. This will be the 141st mission for United Launch Alliance.
This is a classified payload of the National Reconnaissance Office, which oversees U.S. spy satellite operations. All we know is that the payload may likely be a U.S. spy satellite.
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The first Atlas V rocket was launched in 2002.
You can watch the rocket launch live on WFTV.com and the WFTV news app.
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