GeoEye-1 Launch Delayed

[Satellite Today 08-13-08] United Launch Alliance delayed the scheduled launch of the GeoEye-1 satellite from Aug. 22 to Sept. 4, GeoEye announced Aug. 12.
    The additional time is needed to allow for the positioning of telemetry support resources after the aircraft scheduled to track the launch became unavailable, the satellite imagery company said.
    “This activity is not related to either our GeoEye-1 satellite or to the booster’s readiness,” Bill Schuster, GeoEye’s COO, said in a statement. “The GeoEye-1 spacecraft has successfully completed all of its pre-launch checkouts prior to being mated to the booster which is now expected to happen the third week of August."
    GeoEye-1, which will provide black-and-white imagery with a ground resolution of 0.41 meters and multi-spectral imagery at 1.65-meter resolution, will remain at the payload processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base.