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Launch Controller: LC/LD Channel 1 LC/LD Channel 1: Go Ahead.

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Launch Controller: This time LC we're going to scrub for the day, please set up for a 24-hour recycle.

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LC/LD Channel 1: Roger.

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Tracy Young/NASA Launch Commentator: As we just heard, launch has been scrubbed for today

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and we are setting up for a 24-hour recycle.

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Joining me now is NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn.

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Well Tim, I guess things didn't work out for us this morning.

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Can you explain the issue to us?

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Tim Dunn/NASA Launch Manager: Yes, I'd be glad to Tracy.

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So we had a nominal countdown but toward the end of the countdown we did get a reading that

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the C-band tracking beacon on the launch vehicle, the frequency of that tracking beacon was

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drifting from the range system that are picking that up.

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Now that's a mandatory safety item so we can track the vehicle in flight.

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We had a frequency drift that was occurring and with our very limited window,

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we only had a 20-minute window to launch RBSP today,

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we did not have enough time to evaluate the cause and certainly if we were OK.

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The reason that C-band beacon is so important is in flight we only have a few tracking sources:

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we can scan track from the radar; we can track the telemetry coming back from the launch vehicle;

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we have optical tracking from cameras on the range and we then have the C-band beacon.

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So if we were to lose one of these mandatories we would be down into a situation where it

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might not be accessible to pass thought certain kinds of flight such as staging events.

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Certainly with situation that is one we wish we didn't have. But we wanted to err on the side of conservatism.

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Tomorrow or the day after are fine days to launch.

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We're going to stand down for the day.

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We've tentatively set up for a 24-hour recycle, so we look good on the range for an attempt for tomorrow.

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However, we do need to clear this issue.

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So the Launch Team is going to be working very hard. We need to safe and secure the vehicle.

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We need to de-tank all the cryogenic propellants on the Atlas V right now.

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That will take a few hours.

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We then we need to assess the situation. Is this a situation we can live with? Was it the

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range equipment that was giving erroneous readings?

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Or was it truly the launch vehicle C-band transponder that had an anomaly.

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If that's the case then we may have to access the launch vehicle and change

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out that piece of hardware once we understand root cause.

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So right now we're leaning forward. We're going to go ahead and set up for a launch attempt tomorrow.

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However we'll know much more a few hours from now, once we have time to look at the data.

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Tracy Young/NASA Launch Commentator: Well thank you. If we have a launch attempt tomorrow, what time would that be?

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Tim Dunn/NASA Launch Manager: For tomorrow's launch attempt it would be the 25th of August,

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Saturday morning and we would have the identical launch window as today.

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So that's 0407 a.m. Eastern Time with a 20-minute window.

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Tracy Young/NASA Launch Commentator: OK, well thank you for stopping by and explaining the issue to us, Tim.

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Tim Dunn/NASA Launch Manager: Oh you're welcome.

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Tracy Young/NASA Launch Commentator: I?m sorry it didn't work out for us today.

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Tim Dunn/NASA Launch Manager: Well, we don't launch unless we're absolutely certain and this was one of those cases.

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Tracy Young/NASA Launch Commentator: OK, well thanks Tim.

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Tim Dunn/NASA Launch Manager: You're welcome.