The lift-off of the US-made Cassini probe and its Europeanbuilt counterpart Huygens was postponed until tomorrow for technical and weather reasons, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced yesterday. The launch was delayed due to computer problems aboard the Cassini probe, difficulty with equipment on the ground, and strong high-altitude winds that ran the risk of spreading any debris resulting from a possible explosion as the TitanIVB/Centaur rocket hurtled the probes into space.
The lift-off had originally been scheduled for 4.55 a.m. (9.55 a.m. Irish time) yesterday, then delayed for one hour due to technical reasons on the ground.
The next lift-off attempt is scheduled for 4.45 a.m. (9.45 a.m. Irish time) tomorrow, according to officials of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
NASA is taking special precautions because of Cassini's nuclear battery, which contains some 30 kilograms (70 lb) of plutonium. Officials have repeatedly assured the public that no radioactive pollution from the plutonium would be spread in case of an accident.
However, groups such as the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice contend that a CassiniHuygens explosion could kill thousands of people by causing cancer and other radiation-related ailments.
NASA officials have played down such risks, saying that the plutonium is safely contained in case of a launch accident.
The two probes will eventually travel for seven years and 3.5 billion km (2.2 billion miles) before reaching Saturn.
The probes are due to go into orbit around Saturn in mid-2004. Five months later, Cassini will release Huygens, which will circle the planet's largest moon, Titan, before landing on Titan a month later.
Scientists hope to improve their understanding of Saturn's magnetic field as well as how the planet's distinctive rings - wide bands of rock and ice particles - were formed, a mystery that as yet eludes them.
Huygens will study the composition of Titan's atmosphere. The European-made probe will transmit to Cassini information about the moon's surface, so-far invisible to scientists due to its thick atmosphere, which previous probes' cameras could not penetrate.
The probes will make a complicated journey to reach their destination, drawing power from the gravitational pull of various other planets to reach the solar system's second-largest planet. By the time the mission ends four years later after reaching Saturn, Cassini will have circled the planet 70 times, studying the formation of its rings, and the composition of its atmosphere and its magnetic field.