United Launch Alliance delayed the planned launch of an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Sunday after discovering a kerosene fuel leak in the launch pad’s ground storage system.
The kerosene fuel was supposed to be loaded on the Atlas 5 first stage Friday afternoon, following rollout of the rocket from ULA’s Vertical Integration Facility to launch pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Atlas 5 launch team loads cryogenic propellants into the Atlas 5 just a few hours before liftoff.
ULA initially rescheduled the launch for Monday, but officials announced Sunday afternoon that teams needed more time to test a fuel sample to make sure the kerosene was not contaminated during the leak.
The Atlas 5 rocket will launch with two U.S.
The military hasn’t disclosed specifics for other experiments on the mission, but officials said they generally will test technologies related to space domain awareness, space weather monitoring, and communications.
The Atlas 5 rocket will aim to release both satellites in geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator around seven hours after liftoff.
Fuel leak at launch pad delays Atlas 5 mission
Photos: Atlas 5 rolls out to launch pad for Space Force mission
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