Delta 2 Rocket Orbits 3rd Satellite in a Row
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — An Air Force Delta 2 rocket, chalking up its third straight success, hurled a $65-million military satellite into orbit Friday in a pre-dawn flight visible for miles along the Florida coast.
The Air Force reported 30 minutes after liftoff that the 128-foot-tall rocket had performed flawlessly and had propelled the satellite into an initial elliptical orbit.
“The Delta 2 has put its payload into a successful orbit,” said Lt. Col. Ron Rand, the launching control center commentator.
Ground controllers will command an on-board motor to fire Sunday to shift the satellite into a circular orbit 11,000 miles above the Earth.
The $30-million Delta rocket carries a Navstar Global Positioning System Satellite, the third in a new series of spacecraft that enable military units such as aircraft, ships, submarines, tanks and field troops to determine their location within 50 feet.
The satellites, effective in any kind of weather, also keep track of military units’ speed within a fraction of a mile per hour.
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