Rocket’s Launch a Success After String of Failures
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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE — A classified satellite roared into orbit early Saturday aboard a Titan IVB rocket, the first launch after a string of Titan failures.
The rocket, carrying a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office, lifted off into a foggy sky at 2:36 a.m., heading into a polar obit. It was not immediately clear whether the proper orbit was achieved, but the satellite successfully separated from its booster several minutes into flight, said Lt. Tom Knowles, a spokesman for Vandenberg’s 30th Space Wing.
“We consider our job a success,” Knowles said.
Details of the payload, including its weight and mission, were classified.
It was the first West Coast launch of a Titan IVB, which is the nation’s largest unmanned booster.
Built by Lockheed Martin Corp., the two-stage rockets carry liquid- and solid-fuel motors. The rocket can place 38,800 pounds into a low-Earth polar orbit.
However, it has a troubled history. Titan IV rockets were involved in three of six U.S. rocket failures in the last nine months.
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