| Dolores Beasley Headquarters, Washington, DC (Phone: 202/358-1753) George H. Diller Kennedy Space Center, FL (Phone: 321/867-2468) Susan Hendrix Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (Phone: 301/286-7745) Barron Beneski Orbital Sciences Corporation (Phone: 703/406-5528) |
June 4, 2001 |
RELEASE: 01-112
PEGASUS/HESSI LAUNCH POSTPONED
The launch of NASA's High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI)
spacecraft aboard an air-launched Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus
XL launch vehicle scheduled for June 7 has been postponed.
Engineers are working to determine if there are any associated
technical issues between the X-43A mission failure at Edwards Air Force
Base, CA, which occurred Saturday, June 2, and the Pegasus XL vehicle
awaiting launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.
A new launch date on or about June 12 is targeted. Orbital's L-1011
aircraft, with the Pegasus/HESSI vehicle attached, will remain at Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station.