Aerospace Supports Successful Titan II Launch

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (6/24/02) -- Aerospace teams supported the launch of NOAA-M, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's newest environmental satellite aboard Titan II G-14.

"The Titan II G-14 processing, checkout, and verification process was exceptionally smooth," said Ray Johnson, vice president of The Aerospace Corporation's Space Launch Operations.

After the satellite was carried to a near-perfect position in space, its apogee kick-motor provided final circularization of its near-polar orbit 450 nautical miles above Earth at an inclination of 98.7 degrees with the equator.

Aerospace's Launch Verification Division verified that all critical hardware, software, and mission analyses met requirements for flight-worthiness. The company's Launch Support Division at Vandenberg Air Force Base monitored G-14 launch-site operations from receipt through assembly, checkout, and countdown, verifying at each step that vehicle performance and health were acceptable.

Aerospace is the sole provider of Titan II launch verification and validation for launch programs for the Air Force.

The NOAA-M satellite will collect meteorological data and transmit the information to users around the world to enhance weather forecasting.