Rocket launch again delayed from Vandenberg Air Force Base

LOS ANGELES - High winds in Santa Barbara County prompted another delay in the planned launch of a rocket carrying a reconnaissance satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

It was the third delay in the launch, which was rescheduled for 5:44 p.m. Wednesday. Launches from Vandenberg, especially those carried out after sundown, typically create impressive aerial light shows over Southern California and the southwestern United States.

The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket will be carrying a secretive satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

The ULA launch was scrubbed Dec. 8 just 7.5 seconds before its scheduled liftoff due to a technical glitch. An operational problem had caused a delay in the launch one day prior to that.

United Launch Alliance is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

"We are proud to launch this critical payload in support of our nation's national security mission,'' Gary Wentz, a Fallbrook High School graduate and ULA vice president of government and commercial programs, said in a statement prior to the two delays. "As the nation's premier launch provider, the teams have worked diligently to ensure continued mission success, delivering our customer's payloads to the precise orbits requested.''

According to the company, the Delta IV Heavy rocket includes three Rocketdyne liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines that can produce a combined 2.1 million pounds of thrust.

ULA has carried out 27 launches for the National Reconnaissance Office over the past 12 years.