Friday's scheduled launch of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket has been postponed 24 hours. The two available launch times on Saturday, Aug. 4, are 5:26:34 a.m. and 6:02:59 a.m. EDT.

Due to a forecast for severe weather around the Kennedy Space Center launch pad in Florida on Tuesday afternoon, fueling of the second stage will not be completed. Although fueling is expected to be finished Wednesday morning, there is insufficient contingency time in the schedule to move forward with the launch on Friday.

The prelaunch news conference is now scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 2, at 2 p.m. at the NASA press site at Kennedy Space Center. All other planned events for the news media will occur 24 hours after their originally scheduled times. NASA Television and Web coverage will begin at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday.

For more information about the Phoenix mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix  

  For more information about NASA TV, streaming video, and downlink and schedule information, visit:  http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/