2003 Mission Report Archive Also: 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 China launches joint European science satellite The first of two new international science satellites was launched from a Chinese launch pad December 29, ending that nation's most active year in space and opening the next chapter in learning about the complicated relationship between Earth and our Sun.    FULL STORY - updated Proton launches Russian communications satellite The first in a new series of Russian communications satellites successfully rose to space December 28 aboard a Proton rocket. The Russian-made booster lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2300 GMT (6 p.m. EST) carrying the domestic Express AM-22 communications satellite.    FULL STORY - updated Upgraded satellite en route to GPS constellation With a flash of blinding light, a $45 million replacement craft began its thunderous trek toward the U.S. military's Global Positioning System constellation December 21 aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: LIFTOFF AS SEEN FROM CAPE PRESS SITE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Atlas rocket launches on Centennial of Flight A century after man made the first powered flight -- the Wright brothers' historic achievement that set in motion the realization of aviation and spaceflight dreams -- an American rocket with a Russian-made engine soared successfully December 17 to put a communications satellite high above Earth.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: THE LAUNCH AS SEEN THROUGH T+PLUS 5 MINUTES QT    VIDEO: AN OVERVIEW OF UHF FOLLOW-ON SATELLITE PROGRAM QT    VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION PREVIEW OF THIS LAUNCH QT    VIDEO: ANIMATION OF UHF F11 SATELLITE IN SPACE QT    VIDEO: LOOK BACK AT PAST ATLAS LAUNCHES OF UHF CRAFT QT    VIDEO: PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH AT KITTY HAWK QT    VIDEO: SPACE STATION CREW MARKS CENTENNIAL QT    ADDITIONAL VIDEO COVERAGE    SUBSCRIBE NOW Proton rocket launches with navigation payload Topped with a trio of Russian navigation satellites, a Proton rocket blasted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome December 10. The Breeze M upper stage will deploy a trio of Uragan spacecraft into orbit for the Glonass satellite navigation constellation.    FULL STORY Atlas rocket successfully soars on secret mission A Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket carried out a clandestine mission in the predawn darkness December 2, deploying into space what is believed to be a package of ocean surveillance satellites to aid the U.S. government track suspicious ships in the global fight against terrorism.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: ATLAS ROCKET LIFTS OFF TUESDAY AS SEEN LIVE QT    VIDEO: REPLAY OF LAUNCH WITH NATURAL SOUND OF IGNITION QT    VIDEO: CLOSE VIEW OF SLC-3E PAD AS ATLAS LIFTS OFF QT    VIDEO: ANOTHER VIEW SHOWS ROCKET'S ASCENT INTO NIGHT SKY QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Japanese launch fails The second pair of Japanese spy satellites, destined for a reconnaissance mission to observe the activities of North Korea, was destroyed November 29 during a failed launch aboard the H-2A rocket. The vehicle didn't achieve the necessary speed for orbit, prompting controllers to send a destruct command to the rocket.    FULL STORY Proton rocket lifts off A Russian Proton K rocket fitted with a Block DM upper stage launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome at 0622 GMT (1:22 a.m. EDT) November 24 carrying a pair of domestic communications spacecraft. The Yamal 200-series satellites will provide services across Russia, Europe and Southeast Asia from geostationary orbit. This was the third Proton launch of 2003, with two more scheduled next month. China puts communications satellite into orbit China successfully launched a communications satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit November 14 using a Long March 3A rocket. The Zhongxing 20 spacecraft lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the Sichuan Province of southwest China.    FULL STORY Experimental Japanese satellite launched into space Japan's newest satellite was sent into orbit October 30 from Russia's chilly far north on a mission to test a number of cutting edge space technologies. Liftoff of the Rockot launch vehicle was at 1343 GMT (8:43 a.m. EST) from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.    FULL STORY Earth monitoring satellite launched by China The second half of a joint Sino-Brazilian environmental satellite program streaked into space October 20, less than a week after China made history with its first manned spaceflight. Liftoff of the Long March 4B rocket occurred at 0316 GMT.    FULL STORY Weather satellite finally escapes grasp of hard luck Leaving behind three difficult years of delays and disappointments, a seemingly jinxed U.S. military weather satellite finally enjoyed a reversal of fortune on October 18 as it successfully soared into space atop the final Titan 2 rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    TITAN 2 FINALE    A LOOK BACK AT MISSION'S SAGA India successfully launches remote sensing satellite A new Earth-observing satellite rocketed into space October 17 for India, giving the nation a new eye in the sky to monitor civilian activities and their impact on the environment.    FULL STORY China launches its first manned spaceflight Over a decade in the making and four decades behind the Soviet Union and United States, China became only the third nation on the planet to mount a manned space mission October 15 when a single crewman vaulted into space inside a capsule for a one-day flight.    PRE-LAUNCH STORY    LAUNCH STORY    LANDING STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Communications satellite launched from Pacific Ocean The Galaxy 13/Horizons 1 spacecraft boosted into space October 1 aboard a Sea Launch Zenit 3SL rocket promises to relay High-Definition Television services across the United States as part of its joint American and Japanese ownership.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Ariane trifecta: Moon probe, two other craft launched Relying upon an experimental ion engine and miniaturized instruments, Europe's first robotic lunar orbiter has launched to study the Moon's history while serving as a technology testbed for future missions. The SMART 1 spacecraft shared the ride into space September 27 with two communications satellites aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Disaster monitoring craft among Kosmos 3M cargo A cluster of small satellites rocketed into orbit September 27 to embark on a wide range of missions for a number of organizations spanning the globe.    FULL STORY Titan 4 rocket launches cargo cloaked in secrecy Riding over three million pounds of thrust from its two solid-fueled booster rockets, a Titan 4B launcher tore through a cloud-filled sky September 9 to heave a massive national security cargo into space.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TITAN 4 ROCKET LAUNCHES WITH SECRET CARGO QT    PANORAMA: 360-DEGREE VIEW OF TITAN 4 ON THE PAD QT VR    SUBSCRIBE NOW Delta 4 rocket delivers last Air Force DSCS satellite After four decades and two dozen launches, the Air Force's longest-running communications satellite system received its final member August 29 with the successful flight of Boeing's Delta 4 rocket.    FULL STORY    LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: 5 1/2-MINUTE CLIP OF DELTA 4 ROCKET LAUNCHING QT    VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA VIEW OF THE LIFTOFF QT    VIDEO: ONBOARD VIEW OF DSCS 3-B6 DEPLOYING QT    VIDEO: ANOTHER CAMERA VIEW OF SPACECRAFT SEPARATION QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Cargo vessel safely docks to space station A fresh load of supplies -- from shoes to rocket fuel -- is headed for the International Space Station following the successful August 28 launch of Russia's unmanned Progress cargo freighter atop a Soyuz rocket.    LAUNCH STORY    DOCKING REPORT Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: PROGRESS SHIP DOCKS TO THE SPACE STATION QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW 300th Delta rocket launches new window on Universe With a sky-lighting burst of flame and thunder, a Boeing Delta 2 rocket boosted a $1.2 billion infrared telescope into space August 25, a "great observatory" designed to detect the feeble glow of infant planets, stars and galaxies in the making.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: FIVE-MINUTE MOVIE OF DELTA LAUNCHING SIRTF QT    VIDEO: POWERFUL TRACKING CAMERA VIEW OF LAUNCH QT    VIDEO: VIEW FROM PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE BEACH QT    VIDEO: CAPE CANAVERAL PRESS SITE VIEW OF LIFTOFF QT    VIDEO: REPLAY FROM LAUNCH PAD ENGINEERING CAMERA QT    VIDEO: A CLOSE-UP VIEW OF FIRST STAGE ENGINE IGNITION QT    VIDEO: NASA LAUNCH MANAGER RECAPS COUNTDOWN & ASCENT QT    VIDEO: STATUS OF SIRTF ANNOUNCED AFTER LAUNCH QT    VIDEO: MOBILE SERVICE TOWER ROLLED BACK SUNDAY QT    VIDEO: FOOTAGE OF DELTA 2 ROCKET BEING STACKED QT    VIDEO: NARRATED MOVIE SHOWS SIRTF LAUNCH PREPS QT    VIDEO: WATCH FRIDAY'S PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT    VIDEO: LEARN ABOUT SIRTF IN PRE-FLIGHT SCIENCE BRIEFING QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Canada's ozone research project launched into space A Canadian endeavor to study the chemistry of Earth's atmosphere and the fragile ozone layer was successfully propelled into space August 12 by an air-launched rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: 11-MINUTE REPLAY OF PEGASUS LAUNCHING SCISAT QT    VIDEO: POST-FLIGHT COMMENTS FROM NASA LAUNCH MANAGER QT    VIDEO: PEGASUS XL ROCKET IS ASSEMBLED FOR THIS LAUNCH QT    VIDEO: FOOTAGE OF SCISAT 1 UNDERGOING PROCESSING AT VAFB QT    VIDEO: ROCKET'S NOSE CONE INSTALLED AROUND SCISAT 1 QT    VIDEO: PEGASUS IS ROLLED OUT AND MATED TO CARRIER JET QT    VIDEO: CARRIER AIRCRAFT TAKES OFF FOR LAUNCH OF PEGASUS QT    VIDEO: WATCH MONDAY'S PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Russian military launches satellite on Soyuz rocket A Russian Soyuz booster successfully lofted a classified military satellite into orbit August 12, marking the 35th orbital launch of 2003. The payload for the launch was a secret satellite for the Russian Ministry of Defence.    FULL STORY Sea Launch rocket lofts communications satellite The tenth Sea Launch mission lifted off from the central Pacific Ocean August 7, successfully delivering into space a "combo" communications satellite that will be shared by two different companies.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Enhanced version of Atlas 5 rocket debuts successfully The largest and most powerful Atlas rocket in history rushed off its Cape Canaveral pad on a river of golden flame July 17 to expand Lockheed Martin's launcher family.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: 5 1/2-MINUTE CLIP OF ATLAS 5 LAUNCHING RAINBOW 1 QT    VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY FROM CAMERA ON VIF ASSEMBLY BUILDING QT    VIDEO: CLOSE-UP VIEW OF SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER AT IGNITION QT    VIDEO: REPLAY FROM ATLAS SPACEFLIGHT OPERATIONS CENTER QT    VIDEO: ATLAS 5 ROLLS OUT OF ASSEMBLY BUILDING THURSDAY QT    VIDEO: THE ROCKET ARRIVES ON COMPLEX 41 LAUNCH PAD QT    VIDEO: WATCH ENTIRE 41-MINUTE PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Earth's Opportunity rover launched to Mars Recovering from a last-second cliffhanger delay, NASA finally launched its second state-of-the-art rover to Mars on July 7, sending the $400 million "Opportunity" spacecraft on its way atop a hot-rod Delta 2 rocket that lighted the night sky for dozens of miles around.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: 5-MINUTE MOVIE OF DELTA LAUNCHING OPPORTUNITY QT    VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA THROUGH FIRST STAGE CUTOFF QT    VIDEO: CAPE CANAVERAL PRESS SITE REPLAY QT    VIDEO: TRACKING CAMERA VIEW FROM PATRICK AFB QT    VIDEO: POWERFUL TRACKER FOLLOWS THE ROCKET QT    VIDEO: VIEW FROM THE SKID STRIP RUNWAY QT    VIDEO: LAUNCH MANAGER RECAPS COUNTDOWN AND ASCENT QT    VIDEO: STATUS OF OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCED AFTER LAUNCH QT    VIDEO: MONDAY'S ROLLBACK OF MOBILE SERVICE TOWER QT    PHOTOS: 8-PICTURE GALLERY FROM ONBOARD CAMERA OPEN    VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE VIEW OF MOBILE SERVICE TOWER ROLLBACK QT    VIDEO: NARRATED MOVIE SHOWS 'OPPORTUNITY' LAUNCH PREPS QT    VIDEO: FOOTAGE OF DELTA 2 ROCKET BEING STACKED QT    VIDEO: ONBOARD CAMERA VIEW OF MER-A "SPIRIT" LAUNCH QT    PHOTOS: 19-PICTURE GALLERY FROM "SPIRIT" ONBOARD CAMERA OPEN    FULL VIDEO COLLECTION    SUBSCRIBE NOW Rockot booster successfully launches 9 payloads A modified Russian ballistic missile orbited a menagerie of scientific and technology demonstration satellites June 30 for a wide array of international organizations. Liftoff of the Rockot launch vehicle occurred from Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome.    FULL STORY Commercial Earth imager launched into space A commercial satellite that will snap sharp photos of Earth's surface soared into space June 26, boosting a Virginia-based company's hopes of establishing a foothold in the high-resolution imaging business.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    AUDIO: LAUNCH TEAM GIVES PLAY-BY-PLAY CALL OF THE FLIGHT QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Molniya satellite deployed from Plesetsk spaceport Russian space forces successfully launched a military communications satellite into orbit from its northern cosmodrome June 19.    FULL STORY Ariane 5 rocket launches double cargo with success A pair of Australian and Japanese telecommunications satellites shared the ride into Earth orbit June 11, blasting off from the jungles of South America aboard Europe's Ariane 5G rocket.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER 'Spirit' rover begins seven-month cruise to Mars NASA kicked off an $800 million mission to Mars on June 10, launching the first of two golf cart-sized robots that will creep across the red planet's surface looking for the geological traces of a warmer, wetter past and the environmental conditions necessary for the evolution of life.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates    LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE    ASCENT GROUND TRACK Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: MARS ROVER SPIRIT LAUNCHED QT    VIDEO: SPACEFLIGHT NOW LAUNCH VIEW FROM PRESS AREA QT    VIDEO: TRACKING CAMERA VIEW FROM PATRICK AFB QT    VIDEO: POWERFUL TRACKER FOLLOWS THE ROCKET QT    VIDEO: CAPE CANAVERAL PRESS SITE 1 REPLAY QT    VIDEO: VIEW FROM THE SKID STRIP RUNWAY QT    VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT    VIDEO: NAMING CEREMONY FOR MARS ROVERS QT    VIDEO: WEATHER SCRUBS SUNDAY LAUNCH ATTEMPT QT    VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Sea Launch rocket lofts second Thuraya spacecraft The Sea Launch consortium successfully launched its first mission in a year on June 10. A Zenit 3SL rocket, carrying a mobile communications satellite, lifted off from a platform in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.    MISSION STATUS CENTER Russian Proton rocket flies its 300th launch In a commercial mission June 7 that was anything but a sprint, the milestone 300th flight of the Russian Proton heavy-lifting rocket booster successfully launched a telecommunications satellite to cover North America.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE    GROUND TRACK MAP    ORBIT INSERTION GRAPHIC Europe's first adventure to Mars successfully launched Kicking off a string of Mars launches this month, a Russian Soyuz booster did its job June 2 as it placed the first European mission to the Red Planet onto the path that will see it arrive late this year amidst a flurry of international science missions.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    MARS EXPRESS PREVIEW STORY    BEAGLE 2 OVERVIEW STORY Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: SOYUZ ROCKET LIFTS OFF WITH MARS EXPRESS QT    VIDEO: CLOSE-UP VIEW OF ROCKET BLASTING OFF QT    VIDEO: COMMENTS FROM DIR. OF ESA SCIENCE PROGRAMS QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW China lofts navigation craft on Long March booster A Chinese Long March rocket launched the final centerpiece of a satellite navigation system May 25 that aims to provide users with precise positioning information in three dimensions, state-run news reports said.    FULL STORY First Greek satellite launch performed by Atlas 5 rocket The May 13 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral wasn't your every day satellite delivery mission. Sure, it had that unmistakable crackling roar and golden tail of fire. But the successful second flight of Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5 rocket began with a history-making accomplishment and ended with Greece achieving its first presence in space.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    ATLAS 5 VIDEO COLLECTION Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TUESDAY'S ROLLOUT OF ATLAS 5 ROCKET TO THE PAD QT    VIDEO: SHORT VERSION OF ATLAS 5 LAUNCH MOVIE QT    VIDEO: LONGER VERSION OF ATLAS 5 LAUNCHING HELLAS SAT QT    VIDEO: OUR LAUNCH FOOTAGE FROM THE CAPE PRESS SITE QT    VIDEO: VAPOR CLOUD APPEARS IN THE SKY BEHIND ROCKET QT    VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH SPEECHES DECLARE MISSION SUCCESS QT    VIDEO: MONDAY'S ROLLOUT OF ATLAS 5 ROCKET TO THE PAD QT    VIDEO: A PREVIEW OF THE ATLAS 5 LAUNCHING HELLAS SAT QT    AUDIO: 54-MINUTE PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Japan launches asteroid sample return mission A compact Japanese space probe embarked on an ambitious mission May 9 bound for a series of close encounters with an almost equally small asteroid to gather samples for return to Earth.    FULL STORY India launches second GSLV rocket India's largest rocket soared skyward May 8 on its second test flight, carrying with it an experimental satellite and plans for indigenous access to space for a wide range of payloads.    FULL STORY Satellite launched to trace the evolution of galaxies A diminutive satellite with a monumental goal of mapping the history of star formation in a million galaxies streaked into space April 28 atop an air-launched rocket booster.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: L-1011 CARRIER JET TAKES OFF FROM CAPE QT    VIDEO: WATCH 12-MINUTE REPLAY OF GALEX LAUNCH QT    VIDEO: POST-FLIGHT COMMENTS BY NASA LAUNCH MANAGER QT    SEE GALEX VIDEO COLLECTION    SUBSCRIBE NOW Space station caretaker crew blasts off on Soyuz Russian commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA flight engineer Edward Lu roared into orbit April 26, kicking off a six-month mission to operate the international space station in caretaker mode while NASA struggles to overcome the Feb. 1 Columbia disaster.    FULL STORY    EXPEDITION 7 OVERVIEW Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: 11-MINUTE MOVIE OF SOYUZ LAUNCHING EXPEDITION 7 QT    VIDEO: SPECTACULAR CLOSEUP VIEW OF ROCKET LIFTING OFF QT    VIDEO: A LARGE CROWD GREETS THE CREW AT LAUNCH PAD QT    COMPLETE VIDEO LISTING    SUBSCRIBE NOW Proton lofts military satellite The first heavy-lift Proton rocket launch of 2003 occurred April 24 with a classified Russian military cargo aboard that is rumored to be an early warning satellite. Liftoff was at 0423 GMT (12:23 a.m. EDT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.    FULL STORY Atlas 3 rocket gives Asian satellite ride to orbit An Asian telecommunications spacecraft that will cover over 40 countries from the Middle East to New Zealand was successfully launched April 11 by a Lockheed Martin Atlas 3B rocket from Cape Canaveral.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    ARCHIVED ATLAS COVERAGE Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: 3 1/2-MINUTE MOVIE OF ATLAS 3 LAUNCHING ASIASAT 4 QT    VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF THIS LAUNCH QT    VIDEO: WATCH THE PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT    VIDEO: REPLAY OF LAST YEAR'S MAIDEN ATLAS 3B LAUNCH QT    VIDEO: ATLAS 3B ROCKET PRE-LAUNCH PROCESSING QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Ariane 5 program resumes flights with a success Europe's battered Ariane 5 rocket program scored a much needed success April 9, lofting a pair of communications satellites while making strides to repair the heavy-lifting booster's reputation.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    ARCHIVED ARIANE COVERAGE Last Milstar successfully soars to orbital perch The final member of the U.S. military's most secure satellite communications constellation ascended into the sky April 8 where it will relay highly sensitive information between the president and the armed forces.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    ARCHIVED TITAN COVERAGE Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: TITAN 4 ROCKET LAUNCHES WITH MILSTAR 6 QT    VIDEO: LAUNCH SCENES FROM PRESS SITE ON CAUSEWAY QT    VIDEO: RETROSPECTIVE VIDEO ON HISTORY OF TITAN QT    VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE HELD SATURDAY QT    VIDEO: FOOTAGE OF MILSTAR ASSEMBLY IN FACTORY QT    VIDEO: MILSTAR SPACECRAFT SHIPPED TO THE CAPE QT    VIDEO: SATELLITE ENCAPSULATED BY NOSE CONE QT    VIDEO: ANIMATION OF MILSTAR ASCENT TO ORBIT QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Military spacecraft launched by Russian forces Russia successfully launched a military cargo into orbit April 2 from its northern cosmodrome. The Molniya M booster carried a Molniya-type military communications satellite into a highly-inclined, egg-shaped orbit.    FULL STORY Delta doesn't disappoint in successful GPS launch A new satellite to replenish the U.S. military's preeminent space-based navigation network roared off the planet March 31, destined to circle 11,000 miles above the globe to guide soldiers in the battlefield and civilians around the world.    FULL STORY    LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: THE DELTA 2 ROCKET LAUNCHES WITH GPS 2R-9 QT    VIDEO: ALTERNATE VIEW OF LIFTOFF FROM NORTH OF PAD QT    VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH LAUNCH SQUADRON COMMANDER QT    VIDEO: INSIGHT ABOUT GPS FROM GULF WAR VETERAN QT    VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH COMMENTS FROM BLS PRESIDENT QT    SUBSCRIBE NOW Japan enters spy satellite arena with rocket launch Breaking from over 30 years of strict non-military use of the high frontier, Japan launched its first pair of reconnaissance satellites March 28 that will serve as spying eyes to keep tabs on neighboring North Korea.    FULL STORY Delta 4 rocket successfully begins military service Born in the last decade by the Pentagon's call for a next-generation launcher of satellite cargos, Boeing's Delta 4 rocket did what it was designed to do March 10 with the successful deployment of a $210 million military communications spacecraft. It was the Air Force's first Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle mission.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Goodbye Ariane 4: Finale flight for workhorse rocket Arianespace closed out its venerable Ariane 4 rocket program February 15 with an early morning vault into space that put a shining end to one of the most successful commercial launchers in the history of the industry.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Cargo ship en route to International Space Station A day after the Columbia disaster, a freighter carrying cargo for the International Space Station was successfully launched from Central Asia aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket February 2. Officials said the routine resupply mission would go forward as planned despite the shuttle accident.    FULL STORY Delta rocket launches GPS navigation satellite For the first time in two years, a replacement satellite is en route to bolster the U.S. military's Global Positioning System constellation following a successful launch January 29 that was dedicated to the heroes of September 11.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: THE DELTA 2 ROCKET LAUNCHES WITH GPS 2R-8 QT or RV    SUBSCRIBE NOW Air-launched rocket gives boost to climate research Cruising about 39,000 feet above the open waters of the Atlantic, an air-launched Pegasus rocket was dropped from the belly of a carrier jet January 25 to blast a science satellite into orbit to study the Sun's influence on Earth's environment.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: WATCH ENTIRE 11-MINUTE LAUNCH OF PEGASUS QT or RV    VIDEO: TAXI OF ORBITAL CARRIER AIRCRAFT TO RUNWAY QT or RV    VIDEO: L-1011 CARRIER JET TAKES OFF FROM CAPE QT or RV    VIDEO: T-38 DEPARTS THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER QT or RV    VIDEO: AERIAL INSPECTION BY T-38 CHASE PLANE QT or RV    VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH COMMENTS BY NASA MANAGER QT or RV    VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT or RV    VIDEO: AN OVERVIEW OF THE SORCE PROJECT QT or RV    SUBSCRIBE NOW Delta 2 pulls double duty with launch of two satellites Two NASA spacecraft -- one that will bounce laser beams off Earth to gauge environmental changes, the other to study relics of a supernova explosion in our galactic neighborhood -- rode a Boeing Delta 2 rocket into orbit January 12 from California.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER Video coverage for subscribers only:    VIDEO: FIVE-MINUTE CLIP OF THE DELTA 2 ROCKET LAUNCH QT or RV    VIDEO: AERIAL VIEW OF DELTA SOARING AT SUNSET QT or RV    VIDEO: REPLAY FROM CAMERA BEHIND THE PAD QT or RV    VIDEO: LAUNCH ANGLE FROM IN FRONT OF PAD QT or RV    VIDEO: VIEW OF UMBILICALS PULLING AWAY AT LIFTOFF QT or RV    VIDEO: NASA LAUNCH MANAGER'S POST-FLIGHT COMMENTS QT or RV    VIDEO: WATCH FRIDAY'S PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT or RV    VIDEO: NARRATED OVERVIEW OF THE ICESAT MISSION QT or RV    VIDEO: COMMENTS FROM ICESAT PROJECT SCIENTIST QT or RV    VIDEO: ANIMATION OF CHIPSAT ORBITING EARTH QT or RV    VIDEO: COMMENTS FROM CHIPSAT PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR QT or RV    SUBSCRIBE NOW Coriolis launched to track ocean winds, solar storms Finally winning the battle against weather and technical glitches that delayed the mission into the new year, a Titan 2 rocket successfully lofted the U.S. military's Coriolis research satellite into orbit January 6 to mark the first space launch of 2003.    FULL STORY    MISSION STATUS CENTER    LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE    TITAN 2 ROCKET FACT SHEET    OVERVIEW OF CORIOLIS