| T+00:00 |
Liftoff |
| The first stage Peacekeeper solid rocket motor is ignited and the Taurus rocket launches from pad 576E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. |
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| T+01:00.9 |
Staging and second stage start |
| After burning its solid-fuel propellant, the first stage is separated to fall into the Pacific Ocean. At the same time, the Alliant TechSystems Orion 50S solid rocket motor second stage is ignited. |
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| T+02:25.6 |
Second stage separation |
| Having completed its firing five seconds ago, the second stage separates from the rest of the Taurus rocket. The spent stage falls into the Pacific Ocean. |
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| T+02:27.7 |
Third stage ignition |
| The Alliant TechSystems Orion 50 solid rocket motor third stage ignites to continue the climb to orbit. |
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| T+02:32.7 |
Jettison payload fairing |
| The payload fairing that protected the MTI spacecraft during the atmospheric ascent opens like a clam shell and falls away from the rocket.
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|
| T+03:49.0 |
Third stage burnout |
| The Taurus rocket's third stage ends its burn after consuming all the solid-fuel propellant. A ballistic coast period now begins as the rocket heads toward the apogee of its final orbit.
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|
| T+08:51.9 |
Third stage separation |
| The spent third stage is separated from the Taurus rocket's upper stage. The stage impacts in the South Pacific Ocean. |
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| T+09:02.9 |
Fourth stage ignition |
| The Taurus rocket's upper stage, an Alliant TechSystems Orion 38 solid rocket motor, ignites to complete the powered flight for this launch. |
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| T+10:17.2 |
Fourth stage burnout |
| The fourth stage completes its firing after consuming all of its solid-fuel propellant, injecting the stage and attached MTI spacecraft into the desired orbit around Earth. |
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| T+12:12.4 |
MTI separation |
| The U.S. Dept. of Energy's Multispectral Thermal Imager satellite is released into space from the rocket's upper stage, completing the fifth flight of Taurus. |
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