WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) – The United States has delayed the launch of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) mission because of a radar malfunction, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced.
"Today's launch of the DSCOVR mission is scrubbed due to loss of the Air Force's Eastern Range radar, which is required for launch. Earliest next opportunity is Monday, Feb. 9, at 6:07pm ET," NASA said in a news update on its website on Sunday.
The launch of DSCOVR was planned to be carried out from the Kennedy Space Center using the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The primary objective of the DSCOVR mission is to improve the forecasting of geomagnetic storms caused by solar emissions. DSCOVR can also perform Earth observations. The mission is expected to operate for at least five years.
DSCOVR will be replacing NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft, launched in August 1997.
