Posted: Sun, Oct 18, 2009, 9:11 PM ET (0111 GMT)
An Atlas 5 launched a military weather satellite Sunday morning from California. The Atlas 5 401 lifted off from a foggy Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 12:12 pm EDT (1612 GMT) and placed the DMSP F18 satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit 18 minutes later. The Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft is latest in a series of Defense Meteorological Satellite Program spacecraft that provide weather data for the Defense Department, replacing one that was launched six years ago.

Related Links:

•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  Spaceflight Now article
•  Lompoc (Calif.) Record article
•  United Launch Alliance press release
•  Lockheed Martin press release