alb@alice.UUCP (07/20/83)
Problems in the testing phase of TDRS-1 may delay the next launch or two, unless NASA can check the satellite out in time. The trouble is not with the satellite itself but rather with ground equipment. Software errors (!) prevented technicians at the ground station at White Sands from locking onto the satellite. That was corrected last Friday, but subsequent power and backup generator failures have hampered the testing effort. NASA is currently hoping for a 20 August STS-8 launch and a 30 September STS-9 launch.