BY JUSTIN RAY

Follow the preparations and launch of the Lockheed Martin-built Titan 4B rocket carrying a Defense Support Program missile-warning satellite. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2004

The U.S. military's newest orbiting sentry was successfully deployed Saturday, joining a space surveillance system that maintains a constant vigil 22,300 miles above Earth to detect enemy missile launches and nuclear weapon detonations. Read our full story.

Just after a dense blanket of fog lifted, the mobile service tower was retracted from around the Titan 4B rocket at Complex 40 Saturday morning. Spaceflight Now's Justin Ray was at the pad and shot this gallery of photos. See the gallery here.

0203 GMT (9:03 p.m. EST Sat.)

MISSION SUCCESS! The Inertial Upper Stage completed its second firing and then released the 5,200-pound Defense Support Program-22 satellite into geostationary orbit tonight for the U.S. Air Force.

The $507 million Titan 4B/IUS vehicle lifted off at 1:50 p.m. EST from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Complex 40. About nine minutes later, the Lockheed Martin Titan second stage deployed the Boeing-made IUS kick motor and attached DSP satellite into a low-Earth orbit. Over the course of the last six hours, the solid-fueled IUS fired its two stages to deliver the Northrop Grumman-built DSP spacecraft into a perch about 22,000 miles up.

The DSP spacecraft -- the 22nd launched since 1970 -- will undergo about 30 days of checks before being handed to Air Force Space Command for operational use. The Pentagon operates a constellation of DSP satellites to detect missile launches and nuclear explosions anywhere in the world, providing early warning to the U.S. and its allies.

"For 34 years, the Defense Support Program satellites have been the mainstay of this great nation's space-based strategic missile warning and surveillance capability," said Col. Robert "Bo" Reese, deputy system program director for the Air Force's Space Based Infrared Systems. "During the past 13 years, relatively inexpensive computer resources allowed us to expand that DSP mission to tactical missile warning and support commanders deployed worldwide."

Today's mission was the final for the IUS motor and next-to-last Florida launch for the Titan rocket fleet. The East Coast Titan finale is scheduled for October 1 when a classified satellite cargo will be launched for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

One additional Titan 4 will fly after that, lifting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California next February.

The 23rd and last DSP satellite is scheduled for launch next March aboard a Boeing Delta 4-Heavy rocket from the Cape. Meanwhile, a new generation of orbiting surveillance satellites is being readied to fly.

"As we transition to more capable systems that will succeed DSP, these satellites will remain the backbone for this nation's missile warning needs for the foreseeable future, at least for the next decade," Reese said.

"The need to replenish the constellation and provide the cornerstone for this important transition is dependent upon the successful launch and deployment of the two remaining DSP satellites -- DSP-22 and 23."

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2004
2028 GMT (3:28 p.m. EST)

The Inertial Upper Stage has fired its first stage, boosting the DSP spacecraft payload from the low-altitude parking orbit achieved by the Titan 4B toward geostationary orbit 22,000 miles up, officials are reporting. The solid-fueled IUS will now coast for the next several hours before discarding the first stage and igniting the second stage to deliver DSP-22 into the proper orbit.

The launch should conclude around 8:45 p.m. EST tonight. Confirmation of mission success is expected to be announced around 9 p.m. We will update this page as soon as official information is released.

1906 GMT (2:06 p.m. EST)

T+plus 16 minutes. "Everything has gone remarkably well," Lockheed Martin spokesman Dave Welch says. "We got through a few hiccups in the pre-launch planning and preparation of the vehicle, and Mother Nature gave us a break and allowed us to get off the ground today."

1900 GMT (2:00 p.m. EST)

T+plus 10 minutes. The upper stage and spacecraft payload have embarked on an hour-long coast period. That will be followed by ignition of the IUS' first stage at T+plus 73 minutes, 30 seconds after liftoff, raising one side of the orbit to geosynchronous altitude 22,000 miles above Earth.

The rocket then coasts up to the high point of the orbit before separating the spent first stage at T+plus 6 hours, 30 minutes. Ignition of the IUS second stage is expected at T+plus 6 hours, 33 minutes to circularize the orbit.

Separation of the DSP satellite to complete this launch is scheduled for roughly 6 hours, 55 minutes after liftoff.

1859 GMT (1:59 p.m. EST)

T+plus 9 minutes, 12 seconds. Retrofire motors have fired and the spent second stage has separated from the Inertial Upper Stage. The IUS and attached DSP spacecraft are now coasting in a parking orbit around Earth.

1859 GMT (1:59 p.m. EST)

T+plus 9 minutes, 1 second. The Titan 4 rocket's second stage has shut down. Standing by for separation of the Titan and IUS.

1858 GMT (1:58 p.m. EST)

T+plus 8 minutes, 20 seconds. Shut down systems enabled on the second stage.

1857 GMT (1:57 p.m. EST)

T+plus 7 minutes, 55 seconds. No problems have been reported by Lockheed Martin as the Titan streaks to space

1856 GMT (1:56 p.m. EST)

T+plus 6 minutes, 45 seconds. The liquid-fueled second stage engine continues to fire, producing just over 100,000 pounds of thrust.

1856 GMT (1:56 p.m. EST)

T+plus 6 minutes, 5 seconds. The vehicle is 92 miles in altitude, 352 miles downrange from the launch pad, traveling at 15,937 feet per second.

1855 GMT (1:55 p.m. EST)

T+plus 5 minutes, 34 seconds. The first stage has shut down and the spent stage has dropped away to fall into the Atlantic Ocean. And the second stage liquid-fueled engine has now ignited!

1854 GMT (1:54 p.m. EST)

T+plus 4 minutes, 30 seconds. About a minute left in the first stage burn.

1853 GMT (1:53 p.m. EST)

T+plus 3 minutes, 39 seconds. The 56-foot long payload fairing enclosing the DSP spacecraft atop the Titan 4B rocket has separated. First stage continues to fire.

1852 GMT (1:52 p.m. EST)

T+plus 2 minutes, 36 seconds. Solid rocket booster separation has occurred. The spent motors will fall into the Atlantic below.

1852 GMT (1:52 p.m. EST)

T+plus 2 minutes, 20 seconds. First stage main engine start. The liquid-fueled engine package is up and burning. The first stage produces about 550,000 pounds of thrust. Engine ignition is a precursor to burnout and separation of the twin solid rocket boosters that have propelled the Titan 4 rocket to this point in the flight.

1851 GMT (1:51 p.m. EST)

T+plus 1 minute, 30 seconds. The rocket has passed through maximum dynamic pressure. All continues to go well.

1850 GMT (1:50 p.m. EST)

T+plus 45 seconds. The twin solid rocket motors are firing normally on the Titan 4 rocket. The vehicle just punched through the cloud deck over the launch site, disappearing from view. The thunderous liftoff is giving the Cape a good shaking as the rocket ascends.

1850 GMT (1:50 p.m. EST)

T+plus 15 seconds. The pitch and roll programs are now underway as the rocket maneuvers to the eastward trajectory for the trek downrange.

1850 GMT (1:50 p.m. EST)

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the Titan 4 rocket launching another Defense Support Program satellite -- a orbiting sentry for U.S. national security. And the vehicle has cleared the tower!

1849 GMT (1:49 p.m. EST)

T-minus 1 minute. The Inertial Upper Stage has switched to its navigation flight mode.

1848 GMT (1:48 p.m. EST)

T-minus 75 seconds. The Flight Termination System has been armed. The ordnance will be armed in the next few seconds.

1848 GMT (1:48 p.m. EST)

T-minus 80 seconds. The solid rocket booster electronics have gone to internal power.

1848 GMT (1:48 p.m. EST)

T-minus 2 minutes. The vehicle's Flight Termination System is transferring to internal power.

1847 GMT (1:47 p.m. EST)

T-minus 3 minutes. The Titan 4 rocket remains set to go at 1:50 p.m. EST.

1846 GMT (1:46 p.m. EST)

T-minus 4 minutes. The Inertial Upper Stage is being commanded to internal power. This is the 24th and final flight of the IUS, which has been in use since 1982.

1845 GMT (1:45 p.m. EST)

T-minus 5 minutes and counting! The countdown sequence is now being controlled by the Programmable Aerospace Ground Equipment -- the PAGE computer system -- as the final minutes tick away for today's launch of Titan 4 B-39 and the Defense Support Program-22 spacecraft from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

1844 GMT (1:44 p.m. EST)

Now six minutes from liftoff of Titan 4 and its DSP payload.

1843 GMT (1:43 p.m. EST)

The Air Force-controlled Eastern Range has given its clear to launch. Standing by to resume the countdown in two minutes.

1840 GMT (1:40 p.m. EST)

The launch team readiness polls have been conducted with no issues reported. The countdown clock is scheduled to resume at 1:45 p.m. EDT for liftoff five minutes later.

The Titan 4 rocket, DSP spacecraft, ground systems, Range and weather are all ready to support this mission today.

1838 GMT (1:38 p.m. EST)

Weather is now GO! The thick cloud and precipitation rules are no longer being violated. Launch is now 12 minutes away.

At liftoff the Titan 4B will be powered by the twin solid rocket motors, each producing 1.7 million pounds of thrust. Once the launch tower is cleared, the vehicle will perform pitch and roll maneuvers for positioning on the flight azimuth for this launch. Titan will head eastward away from Cape Canaveral. After about a nine-minute flight, the Titan will deploy the Inertial Upper Stage and attached DSP payload. The two-stage IUS will fire to send the spacecraft into its geostationary orbit. The entire flight will last nearly seven hours.

1835 GMT (1:35 p.m. EST)

T-minus 5 minutes and holding. The countdown has entered the planned 10-minute built-in hold. Readiness polls will be performed during this time to ensure all systems are "go" for liftoff. If the weather cooperates, clocks will resume ticking for launch at 1:50 p.m. EST today.

1832 GMT (1:32 p.m. EST)

Upper level winds remain favorable for the launch attempt. However, clouds and rain in the area are posing a constraint to flying the Titan 4 rocket at this point.

1828 GMT (1:28 p.m. EST)

There are two weather rules that are currently being violated -- thick clouds and precipitation. Officials have their fingers crossed that there will be a quick window of acceptable conditions for liftoff at 1:50 p.m. EST.

1823 GMT (1:23 p.m. EST)

As the countdown continues to the 1:50 p.m. EST target launch time, Lockheed Martin says officials are hoping to get the rocket airborne during a small hole in this weather system that is moving through the area. Skies are overcast and there has been some light drizzle here at the Cape. The weather screen is still showing a red, or "no go," condition at this time.

1815 GMT (1:15 p.m. EST)

T-minus 25 minutes and counting. Clocks are counting to the rescheduled launch time of 1:50 p.m. EST. The countdown will enter a planned 10-minute hold at the T-minus 5 minute mark.

Also underway are command receiver checks, which are being performing by the Air Force-controlled Range.

1806 GMT (1:06 p.m. EST)

NEW LAUNCH TIME! Officials have decided to move up the target launch time to 1:50 p.m. EST (1850 GMT).

Meanwhile, engineers are preparing to pressurize the rocket's second stage oxidizer tank.

1803 GMT (1:03 p.m. EST)

Lockheed Martin reports that liftoff could be moved up to 1:50 p.m. But everything is depending on the weather right now. That line of rain continues to move its way toward the launch site.

1754 GMT (12:54 p.m. EST)

NEW LAUNCH TIME. Officials are now shooting for 2:30 p.m. EST to launch the Titan 4 rocket and DSP spacecraft. However, this will depend on the weather.

1746 GMT (12:46 p.m. EST)

Lockheed Martin says officials are looking to select a new launch time. The 1:21 p.m. EST target time has been lost by earlier delays in the countdown. Today's available launch window extends four hours to 5:21 p.m. EST.

Also, weather conditions are presently "no go."

1742 GMT (12:42 p.m. EST)

The Air Force reports there have been technical issues with the rocket and ground support equipment. In addition, weather conditions are very iffy at this time. A line of storms is headed this way.

Clocks continue to count down to T-minus 5 minutes where a planned hold is scheduled. That hold will be extended as needed.

1721 GMT (12:21 p.m. EST)

Launch of the Titan 4 rocket is now one hour away. It is a cloudy, mild afternoon along Florida's east coast as the countdown continues.

The rocket is fully fueled with its storable propellants for the first and second stages. The strap-on boosters and upper stage are solid-fueled. Therefore, no fueling activities occur during the countdown like other rockets.

1525 GMT (10:25 a.m. EST)

The mobile service tower has begun to slowly move away from the Titan 4B rocket at Cape Canaveral's Complex 40. Countdown activities are continuing for today's planned 1:21 p.m. EST (1821 GMT) liftoff.

The 11.2 million pound, 260 foot tall tower has enclosed the rocket since it was moved to the launch pad four months ago. Within the massive structure, the rocket's final assembly occurred as the Inertial Upper Stage, DSP satellite cargo and nose cone were attached. It also provided access for workers and shielded the vehicle from the weather.

Now, the tower is being retracted to the launch position. Essentially a building on wheels, the Air Force calls it one of the largest and heaviest self-propelled structures in the world.

Over the next couple of hours, crews will lock the tower in its parked position and secure the pad facilities for launch.

Rolling back the tower is a key milestone during the countdown. This event has encountered more than its share of troubles during previous Titan 4 missions, causing launches to miss their appointed times. Taking that into account, engineers performed testing and swapped out equipment to ensure today's tower retraction would be less troublesome.

"We did go through...a dry-run of our traction drive, which is what moves the tower. We did that back in December," said Air Force launch director Lt. Col. Jimmy Comfort. "We did replace some items. In fact we replaced all of the hydraulics. We did a lot of maintenance replacement of cables and tubes. So we have done the most that we can to mitigate the issues we've had in the past."

1430 GMT (9:30 a.m. EST)

Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral is shrouded in dense fog this morning as we await the roll back of the massive mobile service tower that currently encloses the Titan 4B rocket. Retraction of the tower was scheduled to occur during this hour, but typically takes place later than planned.

0501 GMT (12:01 a.m. EST)

Scheduled for this launch date months ago, the Titan 4B rocket mission carrying the Defense Support Program-22 spacecraft hasn't budged on the calendar.

"This has been an extremely smooth flow," Air Force launch director Lt. Col. Jimmy Comfort says. "There have been no -- for the folks who are used to Titan 4 -- no sore thumbs. We got this booster out on the pad in early October, and have had no issues even worth mentioning."

This mission is the next-to-last for the Titan program at Cape Canaveral. The final Florida launch of Titan 4 is scheduled for October 1 carrying a classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

"We walked out of one of our many reviews this week and remarked how this team has really come together and we've got a good system. But we've only got a couple more launches to practice that system on."

The last Titan 4 flies from California early next year.

One era that will close with today's launch is the Inertial Upper Stage program. The Boeing-made booster is making its 24th and final flight, propelling the DSP satellite from the low-Earth orbit achieved by the Titan 4 to the desired geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles above the globe.

"There is a great sense of pride in the IUS program accomplishments," said Bill Benshoof, Boeing's IUS program manager.

IUS motors have flown 15 times aboard space shuttles and eight Titan rockets.

"Over the last 22 years, the IUS program has made significant contributions to our defense, communications and scientific endeavors with spacecraft placements for multiple DoD missions, the original TDRS constellation, Magellan, Galileo, Ulysses and Chandra programs.

"The majority of the IUS employees have worked on this program over 15 years, so completion of this last IUS mission will be a significant change to their career paths."

Adding its part to this trouble-free launch preparation, IUS activities went well, Benshoof said.

"The IUS-10 vehicle has completed all electrical system and Titan/DSP integration tests without issue and overall this has been one of the best launch campaigns in IUS history."

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2004
1805 GMT (1:05 p.m. EST)

Managers conducted the Launch Readiness Review this morning and affirmed plans to fly the Titan 4B rocket on Saturday. There are no technical problems standing in the way of liftoff from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The $750 million mission will deliver the 22nd Defense Support Program missile warning satellite into space.

Countdown clocks begin ticking late tonight. Retraction of the mobile service tower from around the launch vehicle is expected after 9 a.m. EST. The four-hour launch window extends from 1:21 to 5:21 p.m. EST.

"We look forward to a successful launch tomorrow. I'm positive about the weather," Major Francis Doiron, chief of DSP current operations at Air Force Space Command, told reporters at a morning news conference.

Weather forecasters continue to predict a 60 percent chance of conditions prohibiting launch. You can see the forecast here.

"We've got a pretty substantial low pressure system that has formed in the western portion of the Gulf of Mexico, and we expect it to move eastward toward the Florida peninsula over the next couple of days, really passing over the peninsula over the weekend," launch weather officer Johnny Weems said.

"What we are looking for tomorrow morning is how much upper-level and mid-level clouds that is really in advance of the rain shield as associated with that system. I think we will have a pretty good feel for it tomorrow morning. If those upper-level and mid-level clouds come in, we're pretty well done in because they are not going dissipate, they are only going to get worse."

The weather is expected to be better in the early part of the launch window with conditions worsening throughout the day. Severe storms are possible late Saturday.

Officials will press ahead in hopes the weather cooperating. However, keeping the rocket safe is the top concern.

"We believe a 60 percent of violation means you've got a 40 percent chance to go. So we're going to lean forward and go for the opening of that window," Air Force launch director Lt. Col. Jimmy Comfort said.

A critical milestone Saturday morning will be the mobile service tower retraction about four hours before liftoff time. As the structure drives away from the rocket, the launcher will be fully exposed on the pad.

"After we roll the tower back, we are looking for the launch opportunity. But in the back of our minds we are also looking to make sure if that severe weather does come that we can get the tower back and cover up the vehicle," Comfort said.

It takes three-to-four hours to get the tower back around the rocket.

A 24-hour turnaround to make another liftoff try is available to the launch team. The forecast for Sunday's backup launch opportunity calls for a 40 percent chance of violating the launch rules. As the system clears the area, the conditions are expected to be better in the later portions of the four-hour window that extends from 1:17 to 5:17 p.m. EST.

Monday looks favorable with only a 20 percent chance of weather problems. The window that day opens at 1:13 p.m.

We will begin posting live updates on this page with confirmation of tower rollback.

0501 GMT (12:01 a.m. EST)

The latest in a long line of surveillance satellites that detect missile launches and nuclear explosions is awaiting liftoff Saturday aboard a Titan 4B rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Launch is scheduled for 1:21 p.m. EST (1821 GMT). A four-hour launch window is available through 5:21 p.m. EST (2221 GMT) if technical or weather troubles crop up.

The Lockheed Martin-built Titan and Boeing-made Inertial Upper Stage will boost the $256 million Defense Support Program-22 spacecraft into geostationary orbit following a seven-hour flight.

The orbiting fleet of DSP satellites serve the United States and its allies with warnings of ballistic missile launches and the detonation of nuclear weapons. Flying 22,300 miles above the planet, the spacecraft work together to cover the entire globe.

The Northrop Grumman-built spacecraft carry a sophisticated infrared telescope that detects the heat from missile and booster exhaust plumes against the Earth's background.

The first DSP satellite was launched over 30 years ago to monitor the Soviet Union and China for land-launched missiles and the waters around the U.S. for submarine ballistic missiles.

Saturday's launch marks the final flight for the Inertial Upper Stage, which has been in use since 1982. The IUS has flown more than a dozen times on the space shuttle, boosting such high-profile satellites as Magellan to Venus, Galileo to Jupiter, Ulysses to the sun and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The $396 million Titan 4 will finish its job about nine minutes after liftoff Saturday, deploying the IUS and attached DSP cargo into a low-altitude parking orbit around Earth. The $111 million IUS then takes over as its two stages fire over the course of six-and-a-half hours to propel DSP into the intended perch high above the planet.

Watch this page for live countdown and launch updates!

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2004

Launch weather officer Johnny Weems is still predicting a 60 percent chance of conditions violating the rules during Saturday's launch attempt. The forecast for Sunday has improved a bit and Monday looks to be the most promising. See the full report here.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2004

Today's edition of the launch weather forecast for Saturday's liftoff of the Titan 4 rocket is available here.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2004

A Titan 4B rocket is set for liftoff this weekend to place the 22nd Defense Support Program missile-warning satellite into orbit for the U.S. military.

Liftoff from Cape Canaveral is scheduled for 1:21 p.m. EST (1821 GMT) Saturday. The day's available launch window extends exactly four hours.

This is the next-to-last Titan 4 rocket to launch from Florida. Since debuting in June 1989, the heavy-lift booster has carried satellites for the Pentagon, secret cargos for the National Reconnaissance Office and even NASA's Cassini spacecraft to Saturn.

The early weather forecast for Saturday calls for a 60 percent chance of conditions prohibiting launch, specifically thick layered clouds and rain. See the full forecast here.

Watch this page for live coverage during the final countdown and launch of Titan and DSP-22.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2003

With a pair of Air Force locomotives pushing the way, Cape Canaveral's penultimate Titan 4 rocket was rolled from its assembly building to the launch pad Monday where it will undergo four months of work before hauling a missile-warning satellite into space. Read our full story.

Video coverage for subscribers only:
   VIDEO: TITAN 4 ROCKET BACKS OUT OF SMARF BUILDING QT
   VIDEO: THE ROCKET MAKES ITS WAY TO LAUNCH PAD QT
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