CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A brilliant prime time night launch witnessed by thousands of people along Florida's Space Coast ended successfully Thursday when a military communications satellite was thrown into orbit over Earth.
The $200 million Defense Systems Communications Satellite (DSCS) took its ride atop an Air Force Atlas 2A rocket, launched from complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
A Defense Systems Communications Satellite is prepared for launch by Lockheed Martin engineers in Sunnyvale, Calif.
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Liftoff came at 8:40 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (00:40 Friday GMT) and the mission concluded when the Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft separated from the Lockheed Martin-built rocket some 26 minutes later, injecting the satellite into a near perfect orbit over the equator.
"That's pinpoint placement," said launch commentator Don Spencer. "As usual, (the rocket) performed its job and put the spacecraft right where we want it to go."
Thursday's space shot marked the 53rd success in a row for the Atlas rocket -- a good news streak that has stretched some seven years -- but the launch team had to work hard to see their booster off.A variety of technical troubles at the launch pad, last-minute concerns about the weather, a problem with a range station in the Indian Ocean and a barge in the offshore launch danger zone all contributed to delaying the liftoff almost one hour past the originally targeted 7:36 p.m. EDT (23:36 GMT) launch time.
A close up view of the brilliant orange exhaust as an Air Force Atlas 2A rocket ignites and lifts off Thursday.
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The DSCS satellite launched Thursday joins 11 others already in orbit as the Air Force works to build a total constellation of 14 spacecraft to serve military communication requirements.
Complementing the capabilities of the Pentagon's super-powerful Milstar communications satellites, these third-generation DSCS satellites allow soldiers in the field to keep in touch with commanders on the other side of the planet by sending and receiving voice and data transmissions.
A key feature of the DSCS satellites is that they provide uninterrupted service, even if an enemy attempts to jam the signal by setting off nuclear explosions.
The Department of Defense began this satellite program in 1966, launching 26 birds in the first phase of the project and 16 second generation spacecraft starting in 1971.
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