The 100 meter tall Ares I-X had been scheduled to lift off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 08:29 EDT (12:29 GMT) but the launch time shifted several times until NASA finally decided to postpone the mission.
The intended two minute flight which will send the rocket some 40 km into the sky would allow NASA to test technology crucial for the development of the proposed manned Ares I spacecraft. However there are doubts over the future of the Ares space project.
In a recent report the cost and design of the spacecraft has been questioned. "With time and sufficient funds, NASA could develop, build and fly the Ares I successfully. The question is, should it?" a report published by the Augustine panel, which had been asked to review the US human spaceflight programme, said.
The 450 million dollar Ares I-X is what NASA describes as a "pathfinder" vehicle. The space agency has not designed a new launch vehicle for more than three decades and has lost much of the expertise in the area, according to some critics. The Ares I-X is the longest, thinnest vehicle ever designed and built by the US space agency.
NASA has now scheduled a 4 hour window for a possible launch at 8 a.m. EDT (12:00 GMT) Wednesday.
(Agencies)
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