NASA abruptly postponed Tuesday night's launch of space shuttle Atlantis because of a problem with the satellite on board. Officials predicted a delay of five to seven days.
Mission managers scrubbed the flight about 10 a.m., or nine hours before the scheduled 6:51 p.m. EST liftoff. The postponement took place a half-hour before fueling was to begin.NASA spokesman Dick Young said the trouble was with a guidance unit on a rocket attached to the $300 million missile-warning satellite. The rocket is needed to boost the satellite from the shuttle's orbit to 22,300 miles above Earth.
Atlantis' six astronauts still were asleep when the countdown was halted. The countdown had gone smoothly until late Tuesday morning.
The astronauts' plans were uncertain, but they were expected to return to Johnson Space Center in Houston, probably later Tuesday.
Once Atlantis gets off the ground, the crew plans to release the satellite six hours into the flight. The men will conduct military experiments during the rest of the 10-day mission.
Until this flight, the Pentagon refused to discuss Defense Support Program satellites.