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Shuttle launch delayed until March 15 at least

The STS-119 mission launch faces delays due to a hydrogen leak in a vent line. Next update expected for March 15th.

Written byPhil Plait
| 1 min read
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The STS-119 mission launch has been delayed at least a few days due to a hydrogen leak in a vent line. The Shuttle is in no danger according to NASA, but things like this bedevil the complicated launch process, and they want to make sure everything is OK. A team of inspectors will take a look this afternoon to assess what's what. It'll be 19:43 (Eastern time) on March 15th at the earliest for the next launch, and historically leaks like this take a while to sort out, so that target time and date may be optimistic. We'll know better later today or tomorrow.

Placeholder image showing Earth from space with an alert icon and the message ‘This image is no longer available.’

A hydrogen vent line to the Shuttle, the source of a leak delaying the launch.

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