Strife over rocket drop zones delays MetOp satellite launch

Launch of Europe's second MetOp weather observatory has been delayed, potentially until late July, by a squabble between Russia and Kazakhstan over drop zones for the lower stages of the satellite's Soyuz rocket, the European Space Agency announced Friday. The mission was preparing to lift off May 23 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A Soyuz 2-1a rocket and Fregat upper stage will launch the MetOp B meteorological satellite into a near-polar orbit. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 29)