The launch of the first uprated series of the US Air Force's Defense Meteorological Satellite Programme (DMSP) weather satellite from Vandenberg AFB, California, has been postponed until December at the earliest. The launch, by Titan II, of the Block 5D-3 series spacecraft, was scheduled for later this month. It has been put off because of an electrical problem on the Lockheed Martin-built satellite. The Block 5D-3 can accommodate larger sensor payloads and features more electrical and computer power than the current DMSP spacecraft. The latest satellite, which is the first of six to undergo the upgrade, will be operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Source: Flight International