[Launch Alert] Successful Launch

Wed Sep 24 07:44:30 EDT 2008

                             LAUNCH ALERT

                              Brian Webb
                     Ventura County, California
                         kd6nrp at earthlink.net
                     http://www.spacearchive.info

                           2008 September 24 (Wednesday) 04:39 PDT
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           VANDENBERG SUPPORTS MISSILE DEFENSE TRACKING TEST
                    Vandenberg AFB News Release

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Vandenberg successfully launched a
space launch vehicle, the Chimera target launch vehicle, which is a
modified Minuteman booster vehicle with a simplified target payload at
11:57 p.m. today from North Vandenberg. 

The launch was part of an exercise involving the tracking of a
long-range target missile by the Near Field Infrared Experiment, or
NFIRE, research satellite.

"For the past 50 years Vandenberg has been at the forefront of advancing
space power." said Col. David J. Buck, 30th Space Wing commander.  "This
launch showcases Vandenberg Air Force Base's global impact and its
critical role in advancing space and missile systems."

This exercise provided an opportunity for the NFIRE satellite to collect
high- and low-resolution images of a boosting rocket which will improve
understanding of missile exhaust plume observations and plume-to-rocket
body discrimination.  

Program officials will continue to evaluate system performance based
upon telemetry and other data obtained during the exercise. The Missile
Defense Agency, a joint service agency of the Department of Defense,
will use this data to validate and update models and simulations that
are fundamental to missile defense technologies. 

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