Weather Continues To Postpone Delta II Launch of ARGOS Satellite
Vandenberg AFB - January 22, 1999 - Unfavorable weather conditions continue to delay the launch of a Boeing Delta II rocket carrying the ARGOS spacecraft for the U.S. Air Force. The Boeing-built ARGOS spacecraft will now be launched no earlier than 2:35:33 a.m. PST, Wednesday, Jan. 27. Officials will evaluate the weather conditions Tuesday morning and at that time will make a decision regarding a Wednesday launch attempt. The ARGOS launch has two NASA-sponsored secondary payloads, the Ersted satellite for Denmark and the SUNSAT micro-satellite for South Africa.

ARGOS Postponed until Tuesday Jan 26Satellite
Vandenberg AFB - January 22, 1999 - Officials have scrubbed today's launch of a Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle carrying the ARGOS spacecraft for the U.S. Air Force due to upper level wind constraints. The Boeing-built ARGOS spacecraft will be launched no earlier than 2:35:33 a.m. PST, Tuesday, Jan. 26, due to a forecast of deteriorating weather in the area over the next few days. Officials will continue to monitor weather conditions and make a launch decision on Monday, Jan. 25.

The ARGOS launch has two NASA-sponsored secondary payloads, the Orsted satellite for Denmark and the SUNSAT micro-satellite for South Africa.

Weather Postpones Delta II Launch of ARGOS Satellite
Vandenberg AFB - January 21, 1999 - Officials have scrubbed the launch of a Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle carrying the ARGOS spacecraft for the U.S. Air Force due to adverse weather conditions in the local area.

The launch of Boeing-built ARGOS spacecraft was postponed until Friday morning at 2:37:51 a.m. PST. The decision was made due to predictions that if the range had to destroy the rocket during flight, debris could land in populated areas due to the direction and magnitude of winds at the time of launch.

Boeing will host a live video feed from 2:25 to 4:45 a.m. PST. Satellite coordinates are: GE 2C, transponder 6, located at 85 degrees west, uplink frequency 6045 (vertical), downlink frequency 3820 (horizontal). A live webcast also will be carried (www.boeing.com) from 2:25 to 4:45 a.m. PST. The ARGOS launch has two NASA-sponsored secondary payloads, the Orsted satellite for Denmark and the SUNSAT micro-satellite for South Africa.

Delta II Launch of ARGOS Satellite Postponed
Vandenberg AFB - January 20, 1999 - Officials have scrubbed this morning's launch of a Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II expendable launch vehicle carrying the ARGOS spacecraft for the U.S. Air Force due to adverse weather conditions and range safety concerns. Officials postponed the launch after citing winds with potential to shower debris in populated areas in the event the range had to destroy the rocket during flight. Boeing is proceeding with plans for a launch tomorrow at 2:37:51 a.m. PST Thursday, Jan. 21, and will host a live video feed from 2:30 to 4:45 a.m. PST. Satellite coordinates are: GE 2C, transponder 6, located at 85 degrees west, uplink frequency 6045 (vertical), downlink frequency 3820 (horizontal). A live webcast also will be carried (www.boeing.com) from 2:30 to 4:45 a.m. PST. The ARGOS launch has two NASA-sponsored secondary payloads, the Orsted satellite for Denmark and the SUNSAT micro-satellite for South Africa.

Weather Delays Delta Argos Launch To Wednesday
Vandenberg AFB - January 18, 1999 - Officials have opted to further delay the launch of a Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II expendable launch vehicle carrying the Argos spacecraft for the U.S. Air Force. Officials scrubbed the launch scheduled for 2:39 a.m. PST, Tuesday, Jan. 19, citing continued forecasts for strong upper level winds in the area.

Boeing is proceeding with plans for a launch on Wednesday, Jan. 20, and will evaluate weather conditions tomorrow morning. Updated launch and broadcast information will be issued as it becomes available. The Argos launch has two NASA-sponsored secondary payloads, the Orsted satellite for Denmark and the SUNSAT micro-satellite for South Africa.

Weather Delays Delta Argos Launch To Tuesday
Vandenberg AFB - January 16, 1999 - U.S. Air Force and Boeing officials have postponed Sunday's launch attempt of the ARGOS spacecraft. Continued wind and weather constraints have delayed the launch, scheduled to fly aboard a Boeing Delta II.

Following a morning weather briefing, the decision was made to make another launch attempt on Tuesday morning. The launch window on Tuesday, Jan. 19 is 2:39 a.m. PST.

The ARGOS launch has two NASA-sponsored secondary payloads, the Orsted spacecraft for Denmark, and the SUNSAT micro-satellite for South Africa.

Delta Truck Goes For Three
Huntington Beach - January 11, 1999 - The Boeing Delta team has incurred a one day delay with this week's launch of a sophisticated research and development satellite for the U.S. Air Force, the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS). Rescheduled to Jan. 15, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif, the launch window is 2:39 a.m. to 2:48 a.m. PST.

The same Boeing rocket will carry two additional NASA-sponsored payloads, the Orsted satellite for Denmark and the SUNSAT micro-satellite for South Africa. As the prime contractor, Boeing developed the three-ton ARGOS spacecraft and integrated its nine experimental payloads. The company will provide the Air Force with one year of support in coordinating the phased sequence of the nine on-orbit experiments.

"ARGOS will be the largest and most sophisticated research and development satellite Boeing has ever orbited for the Air Force," said Will Hampton, Boeing director of U.S. Air Force Delta Programs. "We are proud to provide the Air Force with the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch this important scientific endeavor," Hampton said.

ARGOS will spend three years in space collecting valuable data on the Earth's global environment and performing technology demonstrations for top-priority military space programs. The nine ARGOS payloads will address more than 30 research objectives, including sensor technology for the International Space Station and the detection of orbital debris, as well as advanced propulsion and computer experiments.

"The ARGOS satellite will provide a tremendous payoff in critical technologies such as imaging, satellite propulsion and space-based computing. These areas will become important as more and more applications of space are developed," said Col. Tom Mead, program manager of the DoD Space Test Program.

NASA is providing a Global Positioning System (GPS) TurboRogue receiver and satellite laser tracking retroreflector for SUNSAT and a GPS receiver and magnetometer for Orsted. NASA is also providing the launch for both SUNSAT and Orsted onboard the Delta II. NASA also owns the SLC-2 launch pad at Vandenberg from which the Boeing Delta II 7920 will lift both satellites, in addition to ARGOS.

Orsted will be delivered to a near sun-synchronous orbit, carrying scientific equipment to study the Earth's magnetic fields and electrical properties. The satellite is semiautonomous with control provided by its onboard computer.

The SUNSAT micro-satellite will be used for remote sensing and amateur radio communication. It was built by the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa to provide services that include data collection and message, file and image transfer. The primary objectives of the mission include the training of graduate students, the stimulation of research and the fostering of international interaction. Boeing builds the Delta II 7920 rocket in Huntington Beach, Calif., while its Canoga Park, Calif., facility produces the Rocketdyne RS-27 first-stage main engine. Final assembly takes place at the Boeing facility in Pueblo, Colo. The Delta launch team at Vandenberg Air Force Base handles launch coordination and operations for the mission.