Titan IVB Launch a Success

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (5/26/99) -- The Titan team scored an important success when the first Titan IVB mission to be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, went off without a hitch May 22 at 2:36 a.m. carrying a National Reconnaissance Office satellite into orbit.

"It was a superb job by Joe Wambolt and his crew," said John Willacker, vice president of The Aerospace Corporation's Space Launch Operations organization. Wambolt is principal director of the company's Western Range Directorate at Vandenberg. The directorate provides on-site support for Department of Defense and NRO launches.

"Mike Spence and his people, experienced in launching Titan IVs from the Eastern Range, came in to work with Wambolt in light of recent problems," Willacker said. Spence is principal director of the Eastern Range Directorate at Cape Canaveral.

Two Titan vehicles experienced upper-stage failures in April, and one exploded last August after liftoff as a result of wiring damage.