NASA again reschedules GLAST launch date

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 3 (UPI) -- First it was Tuesday, then it was Thursday and now the U.S. space agency has decided on Saturday for the launch of its newest space telescope.

The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is now to lift off Saturday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida between 11:45 a.m. and 1:40 p.m. EDT -- a launch window that will remain unchanged through August.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration had originally targeted June 3 for the launch of the space observatory aboard a Delta II rocket, but then moved the date to June 5 after deciding additional time was necessary for the Delta II launch team to assure all engineering issues had been resolved. Officials Monday again decided more time was necessary and moved the liftoff date to Saturday.

NASA says the GLAST mission is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, along with contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the United States.