[Launch Alert] Vandenberg Dusk Launch

Tue Sep 20 07:41:48 EDT 2005

                             LAUNCH ALERT

			            Brian Webb
		         Ventura County, California
		        E-mail: kd6nrp at earthlink.net
	         Web Site: http://www.spacearchive.info

				         2005 September 20 (Tuesday) 04:36 PDT
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                       VANDENBERG DUSK LAUNCH

The first Vandenberg AFB dusk launch in nearly three years is slated
for Thursday, September 22. The Minotaur booster is scheduled to lift-
off from south Vandenberg at 19:24 PDT, the start of a 16-minute
launch window.

Several minutes later, the rocket will place the Defense Advanced
Research Project Agency's Streak satellite into a polar orbit.

As seen from Santa Barbara, lift-off occurs 29 minutes after sunset.
The Minotaur is expected to climb into sunlight during the second
stage burn at about T+90 seconds. The exhaust plume will be
illuminated by the sun and may create a nice display visible across a
large part of the Southwest and western Mexico.

The launch may be visible until nearly T+13 minutes. For information
on launch viewing and photography, refer to:

  www.spacearchive.info/vafbview.htm
  www.spacearchive.info/vafbphoto.htm

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                      MINOTAUR LAUNCH SCHEDULED
                     Vandenberg AFB News Release

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Team Vandenberg is set to launch a
Minotaur rocket Thursday from Space Launch Complex-8 on South
Vandenberg.  The launch period is from 7:24 to 7:40 p.m. The rocket
will launch the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Streak
spacecraft.

30th Space Wing Commander Col. Jack Weinstein will be the spacelift
commander, or final “go for launch” authority, for Thursday’s launch.

The Minotaur rocket is a ground-based variant of the Orbital Sciences
Corp. air-launched Pegasus rocket. It is capable of launching up to
3,000 pounds into a low-Earth orbit and up to 800 pounds into
geosynchronous transfer orbit.

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			       LAST PEACEKEEPER

It's now safe to assume that the last scheduled Peacekeeper ICBM test
launch is not going to happen. Known as Glory Trip 34PA, the launch
was scheduled to occur from Vandenberg AFB earlier this year. It was
apparently delayed so long that the test was no longer needed.

The launch was intended to test the reliability and accuracy of the
Peacekeeper. However, the Air Force had a ceremony yesterday to mark
the retirement of the Peacekeeper from the U.S. land-based ICBM force.

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                      ROCKET WATCHER PASSES ON

The Editor was informed last week of the death of Launch Alert
subscriber Daniel Bent. He was a launch enthusiast and an amateur
radio operator (callsign KF6IQL).

His brother Ben wrote "Once we traveled to Vandenberg to watch a
launch but unfortunately it was scrubbed. Dan and I had planed to try
again real soon but I guess he's going to have a better view than me
this time."

Daniel died September 12th from a heart attack.

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