2nd Titan 4 Launched; Military Keeps Payload a Secret

A giant Titan 4 rocket thundered into orbit early Friday with what was believed to be a military surveillance satellite.

Air Force officials said the early morning launching went smoothly. It was the second launching of the nation’s most powerful unmanned space rocket and one of three planned for this year.

“Everything went very well. It was a beautiful sight to behold,” Air Force Col. Frank Stirling, director of the Titan program, said. “It was a great step for us in the Air Force to get the second Titan 4 launched on time as planned.”

The $173-million rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It resembled a large ball of fire as it cut through clouds on its way toward an undisclosed orbit.

The Air Force refused to discuss or even acknowledge the flight until it issued a statement about 20 minutes after liftoff. The payload was not disclosed, but civilian experts believe it is an electronic eavesdropping satellite or a missile-warning spacecraft.

A Titan 4 successfully boosted a missile-warning satellite into orbit in June, 1989, even though an engine nozzle malfunctioned. Stirling said the problem was corrected and did not occur in Friday’s launching.

Martin Marietta Space Launch Systems has a $7.1-billion contract with the Air Force to supply 41 Titan 4 rockets, with an option for eight more. The goal is to have 75 by the end of 1997, which would put the cost of the program at $17 billion, Stirling said.

The Air Force ordered the rocket in 1985 to serve as a complementary launching vehicle to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s manned space shuttle.