Atlas III Lifts Off in Historic Launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (2/3/05) -- Aerospace supported the launch of Atlas Centaur AC-206 with a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payload Feb. 3. Liftoff occurred at the opening of the launch window at 2:41 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex (SLC) 36B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The payload was released into orbit about 79 minutes later.

This was a history-making launch: the only Air Force launch of an Atlas III and the last launch from Launch Complex 36. This facility has supported launches for more than 40 years and has been a major part of United States space history.

This was the final Atlas launch and the 75th consecutive successful Atlas mission. SLC-36B will now be deactivated.

The Aerospace Corporation, based in El Segundo, Calif., is an independent, nonprofit company that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for national security space programs and selected civil and commercial space programs in the national interest.