BY JUSTIN RAY

May 8, 2000 -- Follow the countdown and launch of a U.S. Air Force Titan 4B rocket and the 20th Defense Support Program satellite. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission.

MONDAY, MAY 8, 2000
2320 GMT (7:20 p.m. EDT)

SPACECRAFT SEPARATION! The U.S. Air Force has announced the Defense Support Program-20 missile warning satellite successfully arrived into its proper orbit tonight following a near-seven-hour launch. "Everything has worked and the satellite is in the right orbit," said Air Force spokesman Col. Tony Cherney of the 45th Space Wing.

Read our complete story for full details on the launch.

The $650 million mission began at 12:01 p.m. EDT (1601 GMT) when the Lockheed Martin-built Titan 4B rocket lifted off from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. About nine minutes later, the satellite atop the Boeing-made Inertial Upper Stage kick motor were released into a low-Earth orbit. Over the course of the last six hours, the solid-fueled IUS fired its two stages to deliver the DSP spacecraft to a 22,000 mile orbit.

Air Force controllers will test the new DSP spacecraft -- the 20th launched in the past 30 years -- during the next month before placing it into service to replace an aging sister-satellite. Officials will not disclose which DSP is being replaced due to the classified nature of the spy satellites. 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.

This success breaks the string of three consecutive failures for Titan 4 missions originating from Cape Canaveral since August 1998.

The next Titan 4 launch is slated for July 17 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with a classified payload. Cape Canaveral's next Titan 4 is scheduled for late October to launch a Milstar-2 military communications satellite.

2100 GMT (5:00 p.m. EDT)

Now into the final two hours of today's Titan 4 rocket mission to deliver a $250 million Defense Support Program missile detection satellite into Earth orbit 22,000 miles high. Air Force officials report things are going according to plan following liftoff at 12:01 p.m. EDT (1601 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The Titan's core vehicle released the Inertial Upper Stage and DSP satellite about nine minutes into flight, and the IUS completed its first firing about 73 minutes after launch.

The next major event will be the separation of the IUS' two stages -- an event that failed during the last Titan launch of a DSP on April 9, 1999. The spent first stage should be jettisoned today at about 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT). Ignition of the solid-fueled second stage is expected about 3 1/2 minutes later. Once the firing is completed, the IUS will coast for a short time before deploying the DSP to wrap up the launch at about 6:55 p.m. EDT (2255 GMT).

Officials caution that it will take a little bit of time to verify mission success before an announcement is made to the press. Air Force spokespeople hope to get the news out by 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT).

1820 GMT (2:20 p.m. EDT)

The first of two firings today by the Inertial Upper Stage has been completed to deliver the Defense Support Program-20 satellite into the proper orbit. U.S. Air Force officials report, through a spokesman, that the first stage burn of the Boeing-built IUS occurred as expected about an hour ago.

1612 GMT (12:12 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 11 minutes. The Inertial Upper Stage with the Defense Support Program-20 satellite aboard is now beginning a coast that will continue until T+plus 1 hour, 13 minutes and 29 seconds into flight. At that time, the first second of the solid-fueled IUS will be ignited to begin DSP's journey from low-Earth orbit to geostationary altitude 22,300 miles high. See our launch timeline for details on events to occur during this near-seven-hour flight.

We will pause of coverage now and report back with details thoughout the day as they become available from the U.S. Air Force. Spacecraft separation to complete the launch will not occur until 6 hours, 54 minutes after liftoff. It could be 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT) tonight before mission success is confirmed.

1610 GMT (12:10 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 9 minutes, 15 seconds. Confirmation of separation between the second stage and the Inertial Upper Stage at an altitude of 136 miles, downrange distance 1,050 miles. The IUS and attached DSP spacecraft will now coast for the next hour.

1610 GMT (12:10 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 9 minutes. The second stage engine has cut off as planned, completing the powered phase of flight for the Titan 4B rocket's core vehicle.

1609 GMT (12:09 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 8 minutes. A very smooth flight of the Titan rocket is being reported. Less than a minute to go in the second stage burn and deployment of the IUS/DSP payload into orbit.

1608 GMT (12:08 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 7 minutes. The second stage continues its burn. Controllers reporting the stage's engine should shut down at T+plus 8 minutes, 53 seconds.

1606 GMT (12:06 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 5 minutes, 40 seconds. The first stage of the Titan 4B rocket has been jettisoned and the second stage engine is now firing. The vehicle is at an altitude of 97 miles, downrange distance 340 miles.s

1606 GMT (12:06 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 5 minutes. First stage shutdown systems have been enabled. The first stage engine will cutoff and the stage will be jettisoned in about 20 seconds.

1605 GMT (12:05 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 4 minutes. The first stage continues to fire, pushing the Titan rocket and its cargo toward space.

1604 GMT (12:04 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 3 minutes, 30 seconds. Air Force confirms separation of the 56-foot long payload fairing enclosing the DSP-20 spacecraft atop the Titan 4B rocket.

1603 GMT (12:03 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The twin solid rocket boosters have separated from the Titan 4B rocket having completed their job. A nominal flight reported.

1603 GMT (12:03 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 2 minutes, 20 seconds. The first stage engine has ignited.

1602 GMT (12:02 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 90 seconds. About one minute remaining in the burn of the two solid rocket boosters. No problems reported in the flight of the Titan 4B on a beautiful Florida day.

1602 GMT (12:02 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 60 seconds. The Titan is one mile in altitude and past Max-Q.

1601 GMT (12:01 p.m. EDT)

T+plus 30 seconds. Vehicle has completed the pitch and roll programs to achieve the proper trajectory.

1601 GMT (12:01 p.m. EDT)

LIFTOFF! Liftoff the Titan 4B rocket launching the 20th Defense Support Program satellite -- a new space sentry for U.S. national security.

1600 GMT (12:00 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 1 minute.

1559 GMT (11:59 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 2 minutes. Clear blue skies await the Titan 4B rocket here at Cape Canaveral.

1558 GMT (11:58 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 3 minutes and counting. No problems report in this final phase of the countdown to launch of the Titan 4B rocket on mission B-29 with the 20th Defense Support Program satellite.

1557 GMT (11:57 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 4 minutes and counting.

1556 GMT (11:56 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 5 minutes and counting. After a two-and-a-half-hour delay, the countdown is once again underway at Cape Canaveral for today's launch of the Ttian 4B rocket. Liftoff is slated to occur at 12:01 p.m. EDT.

1555 GMT (11:55 a.m. EDT)

The launch team is preparing to pick up the countdown in one minute. The Titan 4B rocket is now six minutes away from liftoff on its first launch of the new millennium -- one of three Titan 4 flights planned in 2000.

1551 GMT (11:51 a.m. EDT)

The Range just announced that the communications link problem between Cape Canaveral and the downrange tracking station on Antigua Island has been fixed. Countdown clocks are poised to resume in five minutes from the T-minus 5 minute mark. There are no problems standing in the way of liftoff at 12:01 p.m. EDT (1701 GMT) today.

1545 GMT (11:45 a.m. EDT)

The 20th Defense Support Program satellite has been declared ready for launch. The launch team is continuing with preparations for liftoff in 16 minutes, however, the Range is still working its problem at the Antigua Island downrange tracking station.

1539 GMT (11:39 a.m. EDT)

In order to make the hoped-for new launch time of 12:01 p.m. EDT, countdown clocks will have to resume at 11:56 a.m. EDT from their current paused position at T-minus 5 minutes. There has not been any recent update to the Range problem with the Antigua Island tracking station.

1533 GMT (11:33 a.m. EDT)

The Range Safety checks of the rocket's Command Receiver have been completed. Also, the first and second stage oxidizer tanks have been pressurized to proper levels for launch. The tanks contain nitrogen tetroxide that will be consumed by the stages' engines along with Aerozine-50 fuel.

1531 GMT (11:31 a.m. EDT)

Now 30 minutes away from the planned launch today for the Titan 4B rocket. However, the Range remains "no go" due to a communications link problem between Cape Canaveral and the downrange tracking station on Antigua Island. Work to correct the problem is ongoing in hopes of making the 12:01 p.m. EDT (1601 GMT) launch time. Officials have until 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT) to get the Titan off the ground today or else wait till tomorrow.

1528 GMT (11:28 a.m. EDT)

The DSP-20 spacecraft is now reported on internal power. Also, checks of the Range Safety Command Receiver on the Titan 4B rocket are continuing. The receiver would be used by the rocket to obtain the signal from safety officials to destroy the vehicle if a problem was encountered during launch.

1522 GMT (11:22 a.m. EDT)

Controllers are powering up the Defense Support Program-20 missile-detection satellite nestled in the payload fairing atop the Titan 4B rocket, the Air Force reports.

The only remaining issue this morning is the communications link problem between the Cape and the downrange tracking station on Antigua Island. The Range is still working to resolve the problem in hopes of meeting the new planned liftoff time of 12:01 p.m. EDT (1601 GMT).

1512 GMT (11:12 a.m. EDT)

With the launch pad now verified cleared of all workers, Range Safety is about to begin link checks to the rocket's Flight Termination System. The FTS would be used to destroy the rocket should it veer off course or experience a problem during launch today.

1506 GMT (11:06 a.m. EDT)

The final workers and last three vehicles have departed Complex 40. The Air Force says efforts are being geared toward a new launch time of 12:01 p.m. EDT (1601 GMT).

1503 GMT (11:03 a.m. EDT)

Workers have installed the red arming plugs that will allow the solid rocket boosters to be ignited at liftoff. The team is now preparing to leave Complex 40, clearing the site all off personnel for today's launch, now expected at about 12:01 p.m. EDT (1601 GMT).

1500 GMT (11:00 a.m. EDT)

The countdown continues to hold at T-minus 5 minutes as work remains ongoing at Complex 40 to ready a Titan 4B rocket for launch today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch team is currently expecting liftoff between 11:45 a.m. and 12 noon EDT.

The Titan 4 rocket will place the 20th Defense Support Program missile-warning satellite into space today. The U.S. Air Force launched the first DSP satellite on November 6, 1970. Over the past 30 years, DSP spacecraft served as the cornerstone of U.S. national defense, helping guard the country and its allies against enemy missile attack. Read the Air Force fact sheet for more on the DSP system.

1443 GMT (10:43 a.m. EDT)

Air Force officials are now saying launch will likely occur closer to 12 noon EDT (1600 GMT), about a half-hour later than they were hoping. The launch team is reporting it will take about 45 minutes to initialize the DSP-20 spacecraft to prepare it for liftoff. Today's launch window extends to 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT).

Technicians are now removing the access platforms on the pad's Umbilical Tower used earlier to fix the compartment door on the rocket's first stage.

1438 GMT (10:38 a.m. EDT)

Workers have successfully fixed a stuck access door on the Titan 4B rocket's first stage. The repairmen are now departing Complex 40 in preparation for launch in about an hour.s

1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT)

Now about one hour away from the expected launch of a U.S. Air Force Titan 4B rocket carrying the 20th Defense Support Program missile warning satellite from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch has been delayed from the scheduled 9:30 a.m. EDT liftoff time due to delays in retracting the massive mobile service tower from around the rocket this morning. In addition, a stuck access door on the rocket and a problem at a downrange tracking station on Antigua Island have created extra work.

The Titan 4B rocket weighs about 1.9 million pounds atop the launch pad current. The Titan is comprised of a two-stage core vehicle, two solid rocket boosters, an Inertial Upper Stage and 56-foot long payload fairing. Read the Air Force fact sheet for a description of the rocket -- the most powerful in America's unmanned fleet.

1410 GMT (10:10 a.m. EDT)

The countdown remains holding at T-minus 5 minutes. Efforts are continuing to fix a stuck access door on the Titan 4B rocket's first stage and a communications link problem between the Cape and Antigua Island tracking station. Workaround plans are being put into place to resolve both problems this morning. Officials are looking toward launch around 11:31 a.m. EDT (1531 GMT) today, the middle of today's four-hour window.

Two Range choppers have been dispatched to patrol the rocket's flight path east of Cape Canaveral to ensure the danger zone is clear of any air or sea traffic.

Meanwhile, weather conditions are spectacular today in East Central Florida with mostly clear skies, a light breeze and comfortable temperatures in the low 70s. Upper altitude winds are also reported acceptable for launch.

1355 GMT (9:55 a.m. EDT)

Nothing new to report at this time. Technicians are still working to fix a troublesome access door on the Titan 4B rocket's first stage at Complex 40, which is expected to take about another half-hour. Otherwise, the weather is near-perfect here at the Cape today and no problems are reported with the DSP satellite cargo atop the Titan. Officials are looking toward a new launch time between 11:31 and 11:33 a.m. EDT (1531-1533 GMT).

1340 GMT (9:40 a.m. EDT)

U.S. Air Force launch officials are currently discussing a new liftoff time today given the two hours of delay experienced this morning. Although a firm time has not been established, officials are thinking about 11:31 a.m. EDT (1531 GMT) for launch today of the Titan 4B rocket and the DSP-20 satellite.

1335 GMT (9:35 a.m. EDT)

A launch pad video camera is now showing technicians working on the backside, or West side, of the Titan 4 rocket as efforts continue to fix a stuck compartment door on the vehicle. The workers are gaining access to the rocket via a platform from the Umbilical Tower of Complex 40.

You can watch the video in Spaceflight Now's live streaming broadcast of today's launch.

1330 GMT (9:30 a.m. EDT)

Today's four-hour launch window is now open but the Titan 4B rocket remains on the ground because countdown activities are running about two hours behind schedule at Cape Canaveral's Complex 40. A new liftoff time has not been established yet.

The latest report on the Range problem with a downrange tracking station is the issue is being resolved. The problem is with the communications link between the Cape and the tracking site on Antigua Island. A workaround is being put into place to clear this problem today.

Meanwhile, officials say it will be at least another hour before a problem will be cleared with a troublesome compartment door on the Titan rocket's first stage. The door refused to close earlier this morning, the Air Force says.

At Complex 40, the 19-story tall Titan 4B rocket stands poised for launch. There are no fueling activities during the countdown for this particular rocket -- the liquid propellant was loaded aboard the first and second stages previously and the upper stage is solid-fueled.

MONDAY, MAY 8, 2000
1315 GMT (9:15 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 5 minutes and holding. The countdown has entered what should have been a 10-minute planned hold at T-minus 5 minutes. However, this hold will be extended while the launch team catches up on work that is running about two hours behind schedule. In addition, a pair of problems are being worked: the Range is trying to resolve a glitch with a faulty land line at a downrange tracking station and pad crews are attempting a workaround plan to close a stuck access door on the rocket's first stage.

1310 GMT (9:10 a.m. EDT)

Countdown clocks are proceeding to the T-minus 5 minute mark where a hold will begin in five minutes. Air Force officials report activities are running nearly two hours late due to delays experienced during pre-launch work overnight to retract the mobile service tower from around the rocket. The launch team has until 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT) to launch the rocket today.

In addition, there are two technical problems being addressed currently. The Eastern Range is presently "no go" for launch due to a problem at a downrange tracking station. Also, workers have reported difficultly closing an access panel on the rocket's first stage.

1247 GMT (8:47 a.m. EDT)

It is an absolutely beautiful Florida morning with not a cloud in sky. The temperature is near 70 degrees and the wind are calm.

At this point, we are waiting for the Air Force to establish a new launch time because of delays experienced earlier this morning has pushed back countdown activities. Today's four-hour window of opportunity in which to launch extends from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EDT.

1220 GMT (8:20 a.m. EDT)

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the launch of a U.S. Air Force Titan 4B rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Today's four-hour launch window opens at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

Activities to retract the mobile service tower at Complex 40 were delayed about one hour and 50 minutes this morning, which is expected to push back the scheduled launch time.

A new liftoff time will be set once the countdown enters a hold at the T-minus 5 minute mark at 9:15 a.m. EDT.

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2000

The U.S. Air Force is counting down to Monday's planned liftoff of a Titan 4B rocket carrying a spy satellite capable of detecting missile launches and nuclear detonations.

Countdown clocks began ticking backwards earlier today in advance of the scheduled 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT) launch from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch window extends until 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT).

Weather forecasters are predicting a 70 percent chance of good conditions. The weather, however, is expected to be better in the early part of the four-hour window than in the later stages, said Air Force Launch Weather Officer Johnny Weems. Should the launch be delayed to Tuesday for some reason, conditions are forecast to worsen, giving only a 30 percent chance of meeting the weather rules.

Pentagon officials hope Monday's launch will begin a new streak of successful Titan 4 missions, building on a safe launch last May from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California -- the West Coast home of Titan. In addition, a success would break the three-in-a-row failure string currently besetting Titan launches from the Cape dating back to August 1998.

The Air Force is confident of success on Monday because the parts of the rocket which experienced troubles in the previous failures have already successfully flown.

"We are very confident in the hardware, we have an outstanding team, we have done an awful lot of work and we have really put every single issue under a magnifying glass much more so than ever before," Col. Mike Dunn, the Air Force mission director.

In the two failures of April 1999, upper stages were at fault. The upper stage to be used Monday -- the Boeing-built Inertial Upper Stage -- was used without incident to launch NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory from the space shuttle Columbia last July.

The Titan rocket's core vehicle, which was blamed in the August 1998 failure, has since completed three successful missions in the last two Cape launches and the May Vandenberg flight.

"People forget there still is a little bit of rocket science here," Dunn said. "The machines are very, very complex. They take an enormous amount of will power to put these things together and get them launched successfully.

"Everyone on the team is sharply focused on mission success...There is absolutely nothing else that I could think of that we could have done. I would be deeply disappointed if we don't have mission success, but I see absolutely no reason why we shouldn't. We deserve one."

The launch team is slated to arrive at their stations tonight at about 9:30 p.m. EDT (0130 GMT) to begin final pre-flight activities. A weather briefing for management is scheduled for 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT). Removal of the mobile service tower from around the Titan 4B rocket at Complex 40 is slated to begin at about 5:50 a.m. EDT (0950 GMT). Countdown clocks will continue to the T-minus 5 minute mark where a 10-minute planned hold will occur. This pause will allow the launch team time to catch up on any work running behind schedule and give officials the opportunity to perform final readiness polls to ensure all systems are "go" for launch. If no problems are standing in the way of liftoff, the countdown should resume at 9:25 a.m. EDT (1325 GMT) for launch five minutes later.

If the launch cannot go on Monday for some reason, the Air Force has a backup attempt possible on Tuesday. Should the liftoff not occur on Tuesday, then the next opportunity for Titan probably will not come until May 21, after already-scheduled launches Delta 2 and Atlas 3A rockets and space shuttle Atlantis from the Cape.

We will provide extensive coverage of Monday's launch with our Mission Status Center reports and a live streaming broadcast.