Air Force Rocket Explodes During Liftoff

Air Force Rocket Explodes During Liftoff

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (August 12, 1998 12:24 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A U.S. Air Force Titan 4A rocket exploded in flames less than a minute after blastoff from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, the Air Force said.

The Lockheed Martin Corp.-built rocket, which blasted off at 7:30 a.m. EDT, was carrying a top-secret satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, said an Air Force launch commentator.

"Oh no," said the commentator about 40 seconds after liftoff as it appeared to go wrong.

About a minute later, the commentator came on again and said, "At this time it appears we have had a major malfunction of the vehicle. We have had an explosion."

The announcer gives the official launch comment, which is piped through to reporters and launch site workers at the space center on Florida's Atlantic coast.

Witnesses said the rocket was off the ground when it exploded in a blast of light and smoke, reminding observers of a Delta rocket that exploded shortly after launch in January 1997. Debris was seen falling to the ground.

Reporters and photographers were evacuated from the press site several miles from the launch pad. But employees and their families watching from nearby were not escorted from the viewing area.

There was no information on the cause of the explosion of the unmanned rocket.

Space analysts have said they believe the rocket was carrying an eavesdropping satellite that would have listened in on military and government communications in global hotspots such as the Middle East and India and Pakistan, and China.

The rocket and the satellite, reportedly code-named Vortex, combined were believed to have cost about $1 billion.

The satellite was designed and built by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the Air Force said. "The satellite was designed and built by the NRO, which will operate it in orbit," the Air Force said in a news release on the launch.

A similar satellite was launched in May on another Titan rocket the Air Force launched this year.

The launch had originally been set for 6:02 a.m. EDT Wednesday, but was delayed because of problems fueling the rocket, the launch commentator said.

The Titan 4A that blew up Wednesday was the last of that particular model scheduled for launch. The Air Force introduced an improved version of the rocket last year.

By DUFFIN MCGEE, Reuters