Atlantis Launch Pushed Back Four Days

According to officials at the American space agency NASA, the launch data for ISS flight STS-129 by space shuttle Atlantis was moved back four days, to November 16. The decision was made so that engineers working with the ARES I-X rocket would have more time to prepare the new delivery system for its maiden flight, scheduled to take place on October 27. With the new push-back, the rocket will be able to launch during a four-hour window on three consecutive days – October 27, 28, and 29.

“This opens up three launch opportunities for Ares I-X,” Allard Neutel, a NASA spokesperson, told Space. The delivery system is scheduled to perform a suborbital test flight, which will test the overall concept that provides the basis for NASA's future workhorse rocket, the ARES I. The new test vehicle is currently undergoing its rollout procedure, which began this morning at 1:39 am EDT (0539 GMT). The move will last for about seven hours, as the new rocket is being transported to the Launch Pad 39B, especially redesigned to host components of Project Constellation.

Today's trek marks a historic event – the first time in three decades when a new rocket exits the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) facility at the KSC, and makes its way to its launch pad. The last such event took place in 1979, as tests for the then-new space shuttle fleet began. The goal of the new flight is to test ground operations for the future ARES I, and also to demonstrate that the two-stage design experts adopted for the delivery system is working properly. ARES I's main job will be to transport astronauts inside the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle to the low-Earth orbit.

The new schedule is also beneficial for the space agency, because it provides some much-needed relief when dealing with Atlantis. Numerous launch conflicts and other factors threw serious doubts on the viability of the original take-off plan, and officials say that launching the spacecraft on November 16 clears a large number of these hurdles. Atlantis must launch until November 19. Any later, and sun-angle problems on the ISS would make it impossible for the shuttle to remain docked to the outpost. Other launch windows are between December 6-13, and again in February 2010.