The long-delayed launch of the U.S. military's next polar-orbiting weather satellite is being targeted for this summer, the Air Force said Monday.

The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F-16 spacecraft was within seconds of blastoff aboard a Titan 2 rocket in January 2001 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. But an assortment of problems with the satellite and its launcher have kept the mission grounded for two-and-a-half years.

Officials now say preparations are proceeding for another shot at launching.

"The spacecraft processing has gone very well to date," said Col. Randy Odle, the DMSP system program director at the Space and Missile Systems Center.

Liftoff is slated to occur July 19 at 1617 GMT (12:17 p.m. EDT; 9:17 a.m. local time). The day's launch window extends for 10 minutes, according to the Air Force.

"I plan to conduct the spacecraft Mission Readiness Review on June 9. Assuming a successful MRR, I plan to transport the spacecraft to the pad and mate to the Titan 2 booster around June 22 to support a July 19 launch date," Odle said.

Once launched, the Lockheed Martin-built satellite will replace DMSP F-15 as the primary spacecraft in the DMSP early-morning orbit. The F-15 spacecraft will then become the secondary satellite for the mid-morning orbit, according to the DMSP program office.

The military uses two primary DMSP satellites in orbits around Earth's poles to collect the data that meteorologists need to generate forecasts for strategic and tactical planning.

Despite the delays in launching DMSP F-16 -- a fresh replacement for the orbiting fleet -- the space-based system is still fulfilling its mission, the Air Force says.

"The DMSP constellation is healthy and fully operational," said Odle.