VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE -- The launch of a defense meteorological satellite was delayed yet again Sunday morning after a computer detected an error and suspended the countdown, officials said.
The launch of a Titan II rocket carrying the satellite on a $300 million mission to gather weather data was rescheduled for Monday at 5:58 a.m., according to a statement from the Air Force Base. The delay was caused when a slower than expected oxidizer pre-valve opening forced a computer to automatically put the launch on hold.
The launch of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program weather satellite also had been postponed the two previous days for different problems.
Plans call for the satellite to be placed into a 527-mile-high polar orbit in which it will circle the Earth once every 101 minutes, crossing any single point on the globe up to twice daily.
The satellite will provide a near-global look at cloud coverage every six hours. In addition, the satellite will track other environmental features such as bodies of water, snow, fire and pollution. Defense meteorologists will interpret that data for use in military planning and operations.
The Titan II rocket began life as an intercontinental ballistic missile. Prior to being refurbished for use as a launch vehicle, it was on alert at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., from 1967 until 1986. The rocket is the 11th of 14 such missiles to be converted by Lockheed Martin.<
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