UPDATE 5/6/11 2:05pm ET: All systems go for launch at 2:10pm on Saturday.
Video courtesy of SpaceflightNow
UPDATE 5/5/11 3:00pm: Launch scrubbed for Friday.
A US Air Force Atlas 5 rocket carrying the SBIRS GEO-1 missile warning satellite is scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral Air Station on Friday at 2:14pm ET.
Cloud cover at launch time made the launch a no go, but the launch window is open until 2:54pm ET.
SBIRS GEO 1 is the first spacecraft to be launched for the Space Based Infrared System, which represents a new era in missile detection technology. To be made up of several Northrop Grumman-built satellites and Lockheed Martin-built ground stations, the new system is designed to provide greater sensitivity and accuracy than the current Defense Support Program it is meant to replace.
