Vandenberg Successfully Launches Atlas V Rocket
Craft Projected Reconnaissance Satellite Into Space
An Atlas V rocket successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base yesterday at 3:01 a.m. The launch had previously been delayed due to concerns of interference debris falling from the explosion of the National Reconnaissance Office experimental satellite, which was shot down Wednesday, February 20. Yesterday’s launch marks the first-ever of an Atlas V rocket, which Vandenberg described as an “evolved expendable launch vehicle,” which means that it was used to project a payload further into space. This particular rocket carried a reconnaissance satellite.