The European Space Agency鈥檚 first remote sensing satellite ERS-1 will
not go into orbit this Saturday night as originally planned.
The French launch operator Arianespace, whose Ariane-4 rocket was due
to carry the satellite, detected a drop in the fuel pressure of the third-stage
fuel tank during previous launches and in a test motor. The pressure drop
was within their safety margins but the company has delayed the launch of
ERS-1 until they have found the cause of the anomaly.
Arianespace hopes it can go ahead with the launch early next week but
the delay may stretch to the end of the month because of the availability
of ground stations to control the launch.
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