Atlantis to Begin Secret Military Mission Feb. 22

Space shuttle Atlantis will lift off early on the morning of Feb. 22 on a secret military mission, NASA announced Saturday.

Shuttle managers said after a two-day flight readiness review that launch would occur between midnight and 4 a.m., the fourth after-dark liftoff in 34 missions.

Feb. 22 has been the target date for some time. Replacement of a main engine turbopump had threatened a one-day delay, but that work was completed Saturday without affecting the schedule.

Because Atlantis’ payload is classified, the Pentagon and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will not announce the precise launch time until nine minutes before blastoff to make it harder for Soviet satellites and reconnaissance ships to track the spaceship.

However, sources said Atlantis and its crew of five military officers are to take off at 1:14 a.m.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the shuttle’s payload is a 37,300-pound satellite with a dual role to snap high-resolution reconnaissance photos and eavesdrop on military and diplomatic communications.

They said the payload will be launched into a high-inclination orbit that will cover most of the Soviet Union, including northern areas where the Soviets have heavy concentrations of naval ships and submarines and several missile bases.

The satellite, known by the code name AFP-731, was loaded into Atlantis’ cargo bay early Saturday, officials said.