NASA targets GLAST launch for no earlier than June 11

June 6, 2008

This is an artist's conception of GLAST. Credit: Sonoma State University/Aurore Simonet/NASA

NASA has set June 11 as the new no-earlier-than target launch date for the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window extends from 11:45 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. EDT.

NASA initially had targeted June 7 for the GLAST launch aboard a Delta II rocket. Additional time was needed to replace the rocket's flight termination system battery, which indicated a problem Wednesday.

NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is a powerful space observatory that will open a wide window on the universe. Gamma rays are the highest-energy form of light, and the gamma-ray sky is spectacularly different from the one we perceive with our own eyes. With a huge leap in all key capabilities, GLAST data will enable scientists to answer persistent questions across a broad range of topics, including supermassive black-hole systems, pulsars, the origin of cosmic rays, and searches for signals of new physics.

The mission is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership, developed by NASA in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the U.S.

Source: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center