Posted: Sat, Oct 18, 2003, 7:28 PM ET (2328 GMT)
The last Titan 2 booster successfully launched a military weather satellite Saturday. The Titan 2 lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 12:17 pm EDT (1617 GMT) and placed its payload into a polar orbit about seven minutes later. The Titan launched the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F16, or Block 5D-3, spacecraft, a satellite operated by NOAA and used by that agency and the Defense Department for weather prediction purposes. The launch has been planned for early 2001, but was delayed several times because of problems with the satellite and launch vehicle. The launch was the 13th and last launch of a Titan 2 from a batch of 14 former ICBMs refurbished into launch vehicles 15 years ago; there are no plans to use the 14th vehicle.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now launch status center
•  SPACE.com article
•  Lockheed Martin press release