Boeing Lifts Defense Satellite Into Orbit
Posted on: Monday, 10 March 2003, 06:00 CST
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- After more than a month of delays, the Air Force launched a defense satellite Monday that will allow faster communication between U.S. defense officials and battlefield commanders.
The blast off of the Boeing Delta 4 rocket was the first space launch in the United States since space shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas on Feb. 1.
The $200 million satellite will become part of the United States' national security communications network, which relays secure data to the White House, U.S. embassies and military personnel.
The launch was also the first military mission of an Air Force program designed to produce and launch rockets in a more efficient and less expensive manner.
The launch had been scheduled for Feb. 7, but was postponed out of respect for the Columbia astronauts. It was postponed again Feb. 10 to give engineers a chance to check for potential problems in a steering mechanism.
Saturday, a problem with a fuel pump housing and a countdown glitch postponed the launch again. High winds forecast for Sunday night pushed the launch to Monday.
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