BY JUSTIN RAY

Follow the preparations and launch of the Lockheed Martin-built Titan 4B rocket carrying a classifed payload for National Reconnaissance Office. Reload this page for the very latest on the mission.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2003

Riding over three million pounds of thrust from its two solid-fueled booster rockets, a Titan 4B launcher tore through a cloud-filled sky Tuesday morning to heave a massive national security cargo into space. Read our full story.

0448 GMT (12:48 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 19 minutes. Officials have ended the public release of information concerning the launch. The Centaur has two more planned firings over the next several hours that will propel the classified NRO payload into its targeted orbit.

However, the NRO has told the media that the remaining mission events and confirmation of spacecraft separation will not be announced to the world, citing the secret nature of the payload. Thus the ultimate success or failure of this mission will not be announced when the launch sequence concludes five-and-a-half hours from now. This is in contrast to previous classified missions in recent memory.

Watch this page for links to video and images of tonight's blastoff.

0444 GMT (12:44 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 15 minutes, 30 seconds. Centaur continues in its coast mode. The upcoming second burn will begin at about T+plus 21 minutes.

0442 GMT (12:42 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 13 minutes, 15 seconds. To recap, Lockheed Martin says everything is going very well in this launch of the final Titan 4-Centaur configuration vehicle.

0441 GMT (12:41 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 12 minutes, 10 seconds. MECO 1. The Centaur engines have shut down as planned following the first of three firings needed to deliver the NRO satellite into the desired orbit.

The vehicle is now in coast that will last about nine minutes before the Centaur engines are re-ignited.

0440 GMT (12:40 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 11 minutes. About one minute remaining in this burn of the Centaur.

0439 GMT (12:39 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 10 minutes, 30 seconds. Good performance being reported from the Centaur upper stage.

0438 GMT (12:38 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 9 minutes, 55 seconds. Centaur main engines have ignited!

0438 GMT (12:38 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 9 minutes, 28 seconds. The Titan 4 rocket's second stage has shut down. Retrofire motors have fired and the spent stage has separated from the Centaur upper stage.

0437 GMT (12:37 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 8 minutes, 30 seconds. We're getting launch sighting reports from as far away as South Florida.

0437 GMT (12:37 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 8 minutes. About a minute left in the second stage burn. No problems have been reported by Lockheed Martin as the Titan streaks to space with its clandestine payload.

0436 GMT (12:36 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 7 minutes, 35 seconds. Engines and hydraulics are performing well, officials report.

0435 GMT (12:35 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 6 minutes, 45 seconds. No problems reported in the second stage burn. The liquid-fueled engine on the stage produces just over 100,000 pounds of thrust.

0435 GMT (12:35 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 6 minutes. The vehicle is 323 miles downrange from the launch pad, velocity 16,467 feet per second.

0434 GMT (12:34 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 5 minutes, 30 seconds. The first stage has shut down and the spent stage has dropped away to fall into the Atlantic Ocean. And the second stage liquid-fueled engine has now ignited!

0433 GMT (12:33 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 4 minutes, 55 seconds. First stage engine shutdown systems enabled. Coming up on engine cutoff.

0433 GMT (12:33 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 4 minutes, 30 seconds. Titan 4 has about a minute left in the first stage burn.

0432 GMT (12:32 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 3 minutes, 50 seconds. Altitude 61 miles, downrange distance 118 miles, velocity 9,400 feet per second.

0432 GMT (12:32 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 3 minutes, 26 seconds. The Air Force confirms separation of the 86-foot long payload fairing enclosing the NRO spacecraft atop the Titan 4B rocket. First stage continues to fire.

0431 GMT (12:31 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 2 minutes, 33 seconds. Solid rocket booster separation! A clean jettison reported.

0431 GMT (12:31 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 2 minutes, 20 seconds. First stage main engine start. The liquid-fueled engine package is up and burning. The first stage produces about 550,000 pounds of thrust. Engine ignition is a precursor to burnout and separation of the twin solid rocket boosters that have propelled the Titan 4 rocket to this point in the flight.

0430 GMT (12:30 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 1 minute, 20 seconds. Altitude 5.7 miles, downrange distance 2.3 miles, velocity 1,600 feet per second.

0430 GMT (12:30 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 60 seconds. Massive, thunderous roar from the Titan 4 here at the press viewing area.

0429 GMT (12:29 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 30 seconds. Both solid rocket motors burning normally to propel the Titan 4 rocket into the cloudy Florida nig sky. The Alliant Techsystems-built boosters are the providing the sole means of thrust for first two minutes and 11 seconds of flight before the liquid-fueled first stage is ignited.

0429 GMT (12:29 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 15 seconds. The pitch and roll programs are now underway as the rocket maneuvers to the 93.9-degree flight azimuth for the trek downrange.

0429 GMT (12:29 a.m. EDT)

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the Titan 4 rocket on a classified mission in support of United States national security. And the vehicle has cleared the tower!

0428 GMT (12:28 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 1 minute. The Centaur guidance is transferring to inertial control. The guidance system switching to flight mode as the countdown enters the final moments to liftoff.

0427 GMT (12:27 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 75 seconds. The Flight Termination System has been armed. The ordnance will be armed in the next few seconds.

0427 GMT (12:27 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 1 minute, 45 seconds. The Centaur liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks are secure.

0427 GMT (12:27 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 2 minutes. The Centaur upper stage is switching from ground-fed power to internal batteries for launch. The vehicle's Flight Termination System is also transferring to internal power.

0426 GMT (12:26 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 3 minutes. All remains set for the classified launch of Titan 4 at 12:29 a.m.

0425 GMT (12:25 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 4 minutes.

0424 GMT (12:24 a.m. EDT)

T-minus 5 minutes and counting! The countdown sequence is now being controlled by the Programmable Aerospace Ground Equipment -- the PAGE computer system -- as the final minutes tick away for today's launch of Titan 4 B-36 and the classified National Reconnaissance Office payload from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

0423 GMT (12:23 a.m. EDT)

Liftoff of Titan 4 and its NRO payload is six minutes away.

0422 GMT (12:22 a.m. EDT)

Now two minutes from resuming the countdown.

0420 GMT (12:20 a.m. EDT)

The Air Force-controlled Eastern Range has given its clear to launch.

0419 GMT (12:19 a.m. EDT)

Launch is now 10 minutes away. The countdown will resume from the T-minus 5 minute mark some five minutes from now.

0416 GMT (12:16 a.m. EDT)

The launch team readiness polls have been conducted with no issues reported. The countdown clock is scheduled to resume at 12:24 a.m. EDT.

0414 GMT (12:14 a.m. EDT)

Now 15 minutes from the re-scheduled launch time for Titan 4.

0405 GMT (12:05 a.m. EDT)

The issue with the Centaur upper stage has been resolved and a new launch time of 12:29 a.m. EDT (0429 GMT) has been established.

0343 GMT (11:43 p.m. EDT)

Lockheed Martin reports that the problem resolution team appears to be coming to conclusion on its discussion of the temperature issue. Meanwhile, another weather balloon is being dispatched to monitor upper level wind conditions as this hold continues.

0334 GMT (11:34 p.m. EDT)

The countdown remains holding at T-minus 5 minutes. Officials are still hoping that the Centaur forward bulkhead temperature concern will be resolved soon so that the Titan 4B rocket can launch this evening from Cape Canaveral.

0327 GMT (11:27 p.m. EDT)

The particular temperature issue is with the Centaur stage's forward bulkhead. Analysis continues.

0314 GMT (11:14 p.m. EDT)

Officials have formed a problem resolution team to discuss the Centaur temperature issue. There is still no word on a new liftoff time this evening.

0307 GMT (11:07 p.m. EDT)

A new launch time has not yet been established. Lockheed Martin says that all systems are "go" except for this Centaur temperature measurement that was reported to be "out of family". Tonight's available launch window extends four hours.

0306 GMT (11:06 p.m. EDT)

HOLD EXTENDED. The countdown clocks are still holding at the T-minus 5 minute point while engineers troubleshoot a temperature reading from the Centaur upper stage. Liftoff has now been delayed beyond the planned 11:12 p.m. EDT time.

0303 GMT (11:03 p.m. EDT)

The Centaur temperature issue came up during the launch team status checks. Whether the situation can be resolved to permit an on-time launch tonight is not yet known.

0302 GMT (11:02 p.m. EDT)

The launch team is troubleshooting an "out of family" temperature reading on the Centaur upper stage. There are five minutes remaining in this built-in hold.

0257 GMT (10:57 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 5 minutes and holding. The countdown has entered the planned 10-minute built-in hold. Readiness polls will be performed during this time to ensure all systems are "go" for liftoff at 11:12 p.m. EDT today. Lockheed Martin is not reporting any technical problems and the weather still looks good.

0252 GMT (10:52 p.m. EDT)

At liftoff the Titan 4B will be powered by the twin solid rocket motors, each producing 1.7 million pounds of thrust. Once the launch tower is cleared, the vehicle will perform pitch and roll maneuvers for positioning on the 93.9 degree flight azimuth for this launch. Titan will head eastward away from Cape Canaveral. After about a nine-minute flight, the Titan will deploy the Centaur upper stage and attached NRO payload. The high-energy Centaur will fire three times today, ultimately sending the spacecraft into its classified orbit. The entire flight will last nearly six hours.

0242 GMT (10:42 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 20 minutes and counting. Clocks are counting to tonight's 11:12 p.m. EDT liftoff. The countdown will enter a planned 10-minute hold at the T-minus 5 minute mark.

0227 GMT (10:27 p.m. EDT)

The command receiver checks are being performing by the Air Force-controlled Range.

0223 GMT (10:23 p.m. EDT)

Tanking for Centaur continues without any difficulty reported by Lockheed Martin as the countdown ticks along for 11:12 p.m. EDT liftoff tonight.

0217 GMT (10:17 p.m. EDT)

Routine pre-launch checks of the Range Safety systems that would be used to destroy the vehicle during flight are being beginning.

0212 GMT (10:12 p.m. EDT)

Launch of the Titan 4 rocket from Cape Canaveral is now one hour away.

0208 GMT (10:08 p.m. EDT)

A weather briefing was just conducted and forecasters are still predicting less than a 10 percent chance of conditions violating the launch rules.

0204 GMT (10:04 p.m. EDT)

Engineers are examining a minor battery issue on the Titan 4's core stages. But Lockheed Martin says the issue is expected to be resolved soon.

The C-band transponder checks on Centaur have been completed to support launch this evening at 11:12 p.m. EDT.

The loading of liquid hydrogen in Centaur has reached the 50 percent mark. Chilled to Minus-423 degrees Fahrenheit, the liquid hydrogen, along with the Minus-298 degree liquid oxygen pumped into the stage earlier tonight, will be consumed by the twin RL10A-3-3A engines.

Built by Pratt & Whitney for use on Lockheed Martin's Titan-Centaur missions, this engine model will be retired following tonight's launch. The RL10A-3 family has supported the Titan family of vehicles since 1974.

"This engine proved to be one of the most reliable and safe rocket engines in the world with 100 percent mission success during its support of the Titan series," RL10 Pratt & Whitney Program Director for Upper-Stage Programs Dennis Mills said. "It has helped power some of this nation's most memorable, scientifically significant and militarily important payloads."

According to Pratt & Whitney information, 36 of these engines have supported 18 missions for both the government and military with 76 in-space firings totaling nearly four hours. It has successfully helped support Helios A and B solar probes, Viking 1 and 2 Mars landers, Voyager 1 and 2 flights to the outer planets, the Cassini mission to Saturn, three Milstar launches and eight classified payloads.

While the RL10A-3 family will be retired, the RL10A-4 and RL10B-2 families of engines continue to support Atlas and Delta expendable launch vehicles.

Pratt & Whitney is also developing an RL60 engine. This next-generation cryogenic upper stage engine is designed to produce 60,000 pounds of thrust, with a specific impulse of 465 seconds, to meet the evolving needs of expendable launch requirements or human-rated missions.

0153 GMT (9:53 p.m. EDT)

The loading of liquid hydrogen propellant into Centaur is now starting.

0146 GMT (9:46 p.m. EDT)

The liquid oxygen tank of the Centaur has been loaded and holding at flight level, Lockheed Martin reports.

0138 GMT (9:38 p.m. EDT)

The launch team is now beginning the pressurization of the Titan 4 rocket's second stage oxidizer tank.

Meanwhile, weather continues to look favorable with less than a 10 percent chance of conditions prohibiting launch.

0130 GMT (9:30 p.m. EDT)

Good evening from the Kennedy Space Center's Complex 39 press site where reporters and photographers have gathered to cover tonight's launch of the Titan 4B rocket. The usual Titan 4 viewing site on the NASA Causeway is closed this evening due to the wind direction and Range Safety concerns if the vehicle should explode shortly after liftoff.

The countdown is progessing and the vehicle's Centaur upper stage is being fueled. Vapor is streaming away from the base of the rocket's payload fairing nose cone, which encloses the Centaur and the secret NRO payload.

Liftoff remains targeted to occur at 11:12 p.m. EDT.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2003
2350 GMT (7:50 p.m. EDT)

The weather is looking good for tonight's hush-hush Titan 4 launch carrying a classified spy satellite. All weather rules are currently "go" and the forecast is calling for very little chance that conditions would scrub the mission during tonight's available liftoff window.

2145 GMT (5:45 p.m. EDT)

The 11.2 million pound, 260 foot tall mobile service tower is currently being rolled away from the Titan 4B rocket as the countdown continues for tonight's launch from Cape Canaveral's Complex 40.

The tower is a building on wheels. It is considered one of the largest and heaviest self-propelled structures in the world.

Over the next couple of hours, crews will lock the tower in its parked position and secure the pad facilities for launch. Once the complex is cleared of all personnel, activities to fuel of the rocket's Centaur upper stage will commence.

Details about the countdown tonight are expected to be quite limited, given the secret nature of the mission. We will post information on this page as best as possible. Live reports will begin after 9:30 p.m. EDT from the press site.

Liftoff remains scheduled for 11:12 p.m. EDT. The exact duration of the launch window is still a secret. However, the unclassified launch period closes at 3:45 a.m.

2100 GMT (5:00 p.m. EDT)

The massive doors on the south-side of the mobile service tower have been swung open. This event is a precursor to rolling the tower into the launch position a little later.

1800 GMT (2:00 p.m. EDT)

The countdown is underway for tonight's launch of the Titan 4B rocket carrying a classified cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The Air Force has revealed that the target liftoff time is 11:12 p.m. EDT (0312 GMT).

Workers at Complex 40 will be rolling the mobile service tower away from the Lockheed Martin-built rocket later this afternoon in preparation for loading super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants into the Centaur upper stage tonight.

Our live reports on the countdown and launch will begin at about 9:30 p.m. EDT from the Cape Canaveral press site.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2003

The United States is poised to place a giant reconnaissance satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral for the first time in over five years Monday night using Lockheed Martin's heavy-lifting Titan 4B rocket. Read our full preview story.

Today's revised weather forecast is available here.

For live play-by-play updates about the countdown and launch, watch this page Monday evening!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2003

See today's updated launch weather forecast here.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2003

Delayed from August due to technical issues, a Titan 4 rocket carrying a classified national security payload is scheduled for liftoff Monday night from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Launch will occur sometime between 7:45 p.m. and 3:45 a.m. EDT. The exact launch time is a secret.

The early weather forecast, issued this morning, predicts favorable conditions. See the full forecast here.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2003
2230 GMT (6:30 p.m. EDT)

The deployment of a top-secret reconnaissance spacecraft by a $500 million Titan 4 rocket is being delayed again -- to early September -- because of issues with the launcher and its clandestine cargo. Read our full story.

2150 GMT (5:50 p.m. EDT)

The launch of the Titan 4 rocket carrying a secret national security cargo has been delayed until early September due to booster and payload issues, the Air Force just announced. The launch had been targeted for this Thursday. Details to follow.

1830 GMT (2:30 p.m. EDT)

The latest weather forecast is available here.

MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2003
2025 GMT (4:25 p.m. EDT)

Air Force officials say the decision to postpone launching the Titan 4 rocket one more day -- to the early morning hours of Thursday -- was necessary as technicians catch up on pre-flight activities impacted by last week's nitrogen tetroxide leak. Read our full story.

1650 GMT (12:50 p.m. EDT)

DELAY. The Air Force has bumped back the Titan 4 launch by an additional day. Liftoff is now targeted for the predawn hours of Thursday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Details on the reason for the delay have not been announced.

The launch window is a secret, but liftoff will occur sometime between 0340-0900 GMT (11:40 p.m. EDT Wednesday and 5 a.m. Thursday).

The weather forecast for Thursday's launch opportunity calls for an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions. See the full forecast here.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2003

The latest weather forecast is available here.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2003

The early weather forecast is predicting favorable conditions for Wednesday's predawn launch of the Titan 4 rocket. See the full forecast here.

The launch period extends from 0340-0900 GMT (11:40 p.m. EDT Tuesday to 5 a.m. EDT Wednesday). The actual window in which the rocket can launch remains a secret. The window falls within that period.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2003

Work to clean up the nitrogen tetroxide spill at Complex 40 has been completed, the Air Force said Thursday, but liftoff of the Titan 4 rocket has been pushed back one additional day. Read our full story.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2003

Workers at Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad are replacing a faulty pump in ground support equipment that caused Tuesday's nitrogen tetroxide leak during fueling of Lockheed Martin's Titan 4B rocket.

Liftoff of the classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office has been delayed at least one day as a result of the incident. Launch is now targeted sometime between 11:40 p.m. EDT Monday and 5 a.m. EDT Tuesday. The exact launch window within that period remains a secret.

Read our full story.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2003

While fueling the Lockheed Martin Titan 4B rocket at Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad Tuesday, about 50 gallons of toxic nitrogen tetroxide propellant was leaked. Air Force officials say the status of the upcoming launch is unknown.

The massive rocket will carry a secret national security payload into orbit. Liftoff has been scheduled to occur sometime between 11:40 p.m. EDT August 17 and 5 a.m. EDT August 18.

The following statement issued by the Air Force explains the situation:

Rocket propellant leaked at Space Launch Complex 40 here at approximately 6 p.m. as the propellant was being loaded onto a Titan 4 rocket.

At no time was there a risk to the general public. There were no injuries to personnel in the area. It is estimated that approximately 50 gallons of the propellant leaked, but the official amount will not be determined until the investigation of the incident is completed.

The second stage of the Titan 4 uses nitrogen tetroxide, a toxic hypergolic oxidizer. The plume dissipated harmlessly before reaching populated areas of Kennedy Space Center, just west of SLC 40. As a precautionary measure, KSC officials were notified about the incident.

"Our emergency response team was immediately dispatched to the scene to secure the site and assess the potential risk to those at Cape Canaveral and the surrounding area," said Col. Ev Thomas, 45th Space Wing vice commander. "All those involved were in full protective equipment and were able to control the leak within minutes."

For every fuel loading operation, worst case scenarios are modeled by Range Safety personnel to ensure the overall safety and security of the operation. Calculations include weather conditions, amount of propellant and potential credible failures. If at any time a condition exists that exceed established safety criteria, the operation is immediately halted.

The cause of the leak is under investigation and the status of the Titan 4 launch, which was scheduled for Aug. 18, is unknown at this time.

We will update this page as additional information becomes available.