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Satellite Launch Planned From Santa Barbara County Postponed Due To Technical Issue

(Bell Labs image)
Joint Polar Satellite System-1 set for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base

A planned satellite launch from the Central Coast has been postponed for at least four days because of the discovery of a faulty battery on board the rocket booster.

The United Launch Alliance had been planning to launch a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base Friday with a NASA/NOAA satellite into orbit. Officials say the launch will now take place on Tuesday, November 14th at the earliest.

The Joint Polar Satellite System-1 spacecraft is designed to provide forecasters with environmental data to improve understanding of changes in the Earth's weather, oceans and climate.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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