Launch of Titan IV-B rocket.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of the United States Air Force and Lockheed Martin
Titan Rocket Finally Completes First Mission
News story originally written on May 24, 1999
The new Titan IV-B rocket finally completed a successful mission today
after months of failure. The Lockheed Martin missile carried a classified
payload for the United States Air Force. It launched on May 22, 1999 at
5:36 Eastern Standard Time from Space Launch Complex Four East at
Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
On board the vehicle was a secret spy satellite for the National
Reconnaissance Office. An earlier mission was supposed to launch a similar
satellite into orbit, but the Titan rocket blew up after liftoff,
destroying the $1 billion satellite.
"We always feel relief at the point in the mission when we have a
successful payload separation and the satellite gets into orbit," said
Air Force Major John Cherry.
The Titan IV is the nation's largest unmanned rocket, but it has a
terrible record. The rocket failed to launch in two previous attempts and
blew up in another. A planned mission to send NASA's Quickscat weather
satellite into orbit has been delayed because the Titan IV isn't ready for
launch.
"Today's successful Titan 4B mission was critical for our customers,"
said G. Thomas Marsh, president of Lockheed Martin Astronautics. "We are
proud to team with the Air Force in launching these large and important
payloads that contribute directly to our national security."
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Learn about Earth and space science, and have fun while doing it! The
games section of our
online store includes a
climate change card game and the
Traveling Nitrogen game!
You might also be interested in:
The 18-story tall Titan rocket and its payload exploded today less than a minute after take-off. Debris from this $350 million rocket and $1 billion satellite rained down on the Atlantic Ocean. No injuries
...more
It was another exciting and frustrating year for the space science program. It seemed that every step forward led to one backwards. Either way, NASA led the way to a great century of discovery. Unfortunately,
...more
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 2:19 p.m. EST, October 29th. The sky was clear and the weather was great as Discovery took 8 1/2 minutes to reach orbit for the Unitied
...more
A moon was discovered orbiting the asteroid, Eugenia. This is only the second time in history that a satellite has been seen circling an asteroid. A special mirror allowed scientists to find the moon
...more
Will Russia ever put the service module for the International Space Station in space? NASA officials are demanding an answer from the Russian government. The necessary service module is currently waiting
...more
During a period of about two days in early May, 1998, the ACE spacecraft was immersed in plasma associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME). The SWICS instrument on ACE, which determines unambiguously
...more
J.S. Maini of the Canadian Forest Service has referred to forests as the "heart and lungs of the world." Forests reduce soil erosion, maintain water quality, contribute to atmospheric humidity and cloud
...more
