BY JUSTIN RAY

Follow the countdown and launch of the Lockheed Martin Athena rocket on the Kodiak Star mission for NASA and U.S. Air Force. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission.
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Kodiak Star video coverage for our Spaceflight Now Plus service (subscribers only):

The Lockheed Martin Athena 1 rocket lifts off from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska carrying four satellites for NASA and U.S. Air Force.
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A tracking camera follows the Lockheed Martin Athena 1 rocket as it blasts off and heads downrange from Alaska.
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The 170-foot tall rotating service tower is moved away from the Athena rocket at Kodiak Launch Complex in the final hours before liftoff.
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The Lockheed Martin Athena rocket is shipped to Alaska by barge, then trucked along a 42-mile gravel road to the launch pad.
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The stages of the Lockheed Martin Athena rocket are stacked together to assemble the vehicle on the launch pad for the Kodiak Star mission.
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The four small satellites that make up the Kodiak Star payload are prepared for launch and mounted to the deployment deck in Alaska.
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The Kodiak Star satellites, already encapsulated in the rocket's nose cone, are transported from a processing facility to the launch pad for mating with Athena.
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NASA Launch Manager Chuck Dovale gives an overview of work to prepare for the Athena launch of Kodiak Star, including assembling the rocket and the countdown.
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Lockheed Martin's Athena mission director, Rick Malone, previews the major events of the rocket's climb to orbit with the Kodiak Star satellites.
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Gil Moore, the Starshine program director, explains how schoolchildren from around the world built the Starshine 3 satellite and will track the craft once in space.
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Lt. Col Perry Ballard, the Air Force's deputy program director of the Space Test Program, provides a summary of the PICOSat, PCSat and Sapphire payloads.
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See our full listing of video clips.


Flight data file
Vehicle: Athena 1
Payload: Kodiak Star
Launch date: Sept. 29, 2001
Launch window: 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. EDT (0130-0430 GMT on 30th)
Launch site: Kodiak Launch Complex, Alaska
Satellite broadcast: GE-2, Trans. 9, C-band

Pre-launch briefing
Kodiak Star - A complete mission overview with details on the payloads and new launch site.

Launch timeline - Chart with times and descriptions of events to occur during the launch.

Ground track - See the trajectory the rocket will follow during its flight.

Athena vehicle data - Overview of the rocket to be used in this launch.


Snapshot
Mission patch
The mission patch. Credit: NASA