New Launch Date for Deep Impact

A new launch window is announced for the Deep Impact project, the
first mission to look deep inside a comet. Technical and management
issues, including contamination in the propulsion system and late
deliveries of key spacecraft components, resulted in delays in the
pre-flight testing schedule. These concerns led Deep Impact
Principal Investigator, Mike A’Hearn, to recommend to NASA a delay
of launch.

A launch window beginning December 30, 2004, previously
identified as a back-up date, provides more thorough testing for the
spacecraft systems before launch and allows the spacecraft to arrive
at Comet Tempel 1 to impact it as originally scheduled on July, 4,
2005. NASA management approved the recommendation.