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Atlas blasts off
Lockheed Martin's last Atlas 2AS rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office spacecraft. (3min 59sec file)
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Salute to pad 36A
The Atlas launch team in the Complex 36 Blockhouse celebrate the history of pad 36A in a post-launch toast. The Atlas 2AS rocket flight was the last to launch from the pad, which entered service in 1962. (2min 09sec file)
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Mission success
The classified NRO payload is deployed from the Centaur upper stage to successfully complete the launch. (1min 56sec file)
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Hurricane Frances
An external camera aboard the International Space Station captured this dramatic view of Hurricane Frances churning in the Atlantic Ocean. (4min 46sec file)
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Monday's Atlas scrub
Stormy weather over Cape Canaveral caused the launch of the Atlas 2AS rocket to be scrubbed on August 30. (44sec file)
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Atlas launch preview
Preview the launch of Lockheed Martin's Atlas 2AS rocket carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office spacecraft with this narrated animation package. (2min 22sec file)
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Sunday's Atlas scrub
Unacceptable weather conditions force the Atlas rocket's countdown to be stopped at T-minus 90 seconds on August 29. (1min 36sec file)
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Saturday's Atlas scrub
A shortage of liquid oxygen caused by a mis-configured valve prompts Lockheed Martin to scrub the August 28 attempt to launch the final Atlas 2AS rocket from Cape Canaveral. (1min 26sec file)
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The Mission




Rocket: Atlas 2AS (Atlas/Centaur-167)
Payload: NRO
Date: August 31, 2004
Time: 6:49 p.m. EDT (2249 GMT)
Site: Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Satellite feed: Intelsat Americas 5, Transponder 16, C-band, 97° West

Launch events timeline

Ground track map

Launch hazard area




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The Launcher




Lockheed Martin's Atlas 2AS rocket, equipped with four strap-on solid boosters, makes its 30th and final flight during this NRO launch.

Atlas 2AS fact sheet

Rocket's launch record

Archived Atlas coverage





BY JUSTIN RAY

Follow the countdown and launch of the Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket with a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission.

Read our earlier status center coverage.