Next Shuttle Mission Delayed Four Days

Next Shuttle Mission Delayed Four Days

NASA plans to delay the next space shuttle launch, STS-129 (Atlantis), by four days to November 16, 2009. According to a NASA press release and media reports, the delay is to allow additional flexibility in the launch of the Ares 1-X test now scheduled for October 27 and to ease conflicting duties among Kennedy Space Center personnel assigned to both missions. NASA also has to deconflict its launches from Atlas 5 and Delta 4 launches scheduled at neighboring Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, not to mention avoiding meteor showers. The shuttle launch window closes on November 18 and will reopen December 6, according to Space.com.

NASA makes the distinction between targeting November 16 as the new launch date and scheduling the new date in its press release; the new date has not yet been scheduled for the Eastern Test Range (which includes both NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and the Air Force’s adjacent launch pads). The launch date will not be scheduled until after the STS-129 Flight Readiness Review on October 29.

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