ULA Atlas V rocket launch of spy satellite scrubbed again while crews fix hardware issue

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.

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.

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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