Stardust launch status

"Go" for Stardust launch

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Stardust mission to capture samples from a comet and return them to Earth remained on its launch schedule after mission officials determined Friday that an unusual battery configuration on the launch vehicle does not have to be changed.

Pre-launch checks showed that batteries on the first stage of the Delta II launch vehicle were placed in a configuration never used before, said Rich Murphy, Boeing mission director.

"We had to scramble around last night (Thursday) and today to identify that environment and determine that that environment was OK," Murphy said. "That's all complete and we're ready to go."

University of Washington astronomy professor Donald Brownlee is the principal investigator for the mission, which is scheduled to launch at 1:06 p.m. PST Saturday from Cape Canaveral Air Station.

Weather for the launch continues to be favorable, with the National Weather Service forecast calling for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 70s.