Launch of HESSI spacecraft postponed

The launch of NASA’s High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI)
spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences air-launched Pegasus XL vehicle has
been postponed.

NASA’s Expendable Vehicle Program Office at the Kennedy Space Center has
concluded that it would be prudent to wait until the X 43 failure board has
released preliminary results and findings. This decision was reached in
consultation with the Explorer Project at Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD.

Once the failure review board has completed its analysis, the conclusions
can be evaluated to determine if any aspects are relevant to the
Pegasus/HESSI vehicle. A final engineering review will begin at that time
after which a launch date can be established.

The Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft carrying the Pegasus/HESSI vehicle
will return to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Thursday, June 21.