NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Launch of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity aboard a Boeing Delta II Heavy launch vehicle has been rescheduled for no earlier than Saturday, July 5. There will be two launch opportunities available: 10:51:25 p.m. and 11:34:05 p.m. EDT.

The Mobile Service Tower is rolled back, revealing the Delta II Heavy launch vehicle ready for launch of Mars rover Opportunity.

NASA's attempt to launch the rover on Saturday, June 28 was foiled by upper level wind conditions and a fishing boat that strayed into the launch area. Originally rescheduled for Sunday, June 29, launch was again postponed when engineers discovered that sections of a two foot wide, 1/4 inch thick band of cork insulation on the launch vehicle debonded from the surface of the vehicle. Replacement of the sections in question will require additional time, resulting in a revised target launch date of July 2.

The Kennedy Space Center Web site will provide live countdown coverage of the launch from the Virtual Launch Control Center located at http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/merb/vlcc.htm. Live online coverage will begin at 9 p.m. EDT and will feature video clips and real-time updates as the countdown progresses.

Opportunity must be launched before July 15, when the window of the planetary launch period ends. It is scheduled to land on Mars Jan. 25, 2004. Along with its twin rover, Spirit, Opportunity will search for clues about the history of climate and water on the red planet. Spirit launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station June 10, 2003 and will reach Mars Jan. 4, 2004. The rovers will land at sites where conditions may once have been favorable to life.

For more information on the Mars Exploration Rover mission, visit http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer.

Kennedy Space Center's coverage of the Opportunity launch is available at http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/merb.
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center