The Associated Press December 2, 2003
Rocket lifts national security payload from California base
A classified National Reconnaissance Office payload was launched into orbit early Tuesday, the military said.
The 2:04 a.m. launch was successful, the Air Force said in a statement.
The booster released the payload into orbit 74 minutes after liftoff, according to International Launch Services of McLean, Va., which participated in the launch.
No other information about the payload or its purpose was released.
The payload likely was a cluster of three satellites in a system that tracks ships at sea, according to John Pike of the defense consultancy GlobalSecurity.org in Alexandria, Va.
"Our belief is that it was a Navy ocean surveillance system. We expect that there might be as many as three spacecraft on board," Pike said.
Such satellites are believed to detect radio and radar transmissions from ships and use triangulation to determine the location of the transmissions. The Navy has flown such missions for years, Pike said.
The payload was carried aboard a Lockheed Martin Corp. Atlas IIAS rocket, the last of its type to be launched from the central coast base.
The pad it used will now be refurbished for use with the next-generation Atlas V, one of two so-called Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles designed for medium and heavy lift launches from Vandenberg.
© Copyright 2003, The Associated Press
