Earliest Launch Opportunity Is Now Thursday Morning

The launch of a constellation of eight microsatellites by Orbital ATK's Stargazer L-1011 aircraft carrying a Pegasus rocket has been postponed for a second time.

Florida Today reports that, according to NASA, a software issue with the satellites prompted a scrub for a second day in a row Tuesday. The issue presented itself during routine pre-launch testing on Tuesday, and engineers immediately went to work on a fix. That was expected to be installed Wednesday, according to the report.

The launch is now planned for Thursday, with an 80 percent chance of favorable weather for the mission. But NASA said in a Tweet that the software must be tested before the launch attempt can proceed.

The first launch attempt was scrubbed Tuesday when a problem arose with a hydraulic system that releases the rocket from the airplane. A replacement circuit breaker was flown in from California to repair the system.

CYGNSS will use GPS data to help calculate wind speeds at the center of tropical cyclones, allowing for better forecasting of their position, track and strength.

(Image provided by NASA)

FMI: www.nasa.gov