The launch of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Orion deep-space capsule for a test flight around Earth was delayed repeatedly Thursday by gusty winds and then a valve problem. Liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket and Orion capsule from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida had been targeted for 7:05 a.m. local time (1205 GMT). If the launch cannot happen by 9:44 a.m. (1444 GMT), it could be rescheduled for Friday. The launch was first delayed by a boat that wandered in the restricted zone beneath the rocket's intended flight path, and then by gusty winds at the seaside spaceport. After halting the countdown twice because of wind gusts, NASA proceeded, only to face faulty rocket-fuel valves. The latest countdown was stalled with only 3 minutes remaining as launch controllers rushed to fix the problem before the mid-morning launch window expired. The valves control the flow of the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in the three first-stage booster engines. The propellants combine to ignite with the explosive force needed to thrust the rocket toward space. The Orion program represents the first time in more than 40 years that the U.S. space agency is launching a spacecraft designed to carry astronauts far beyond Earth.
