Launching of Secret Military Rocket Delayed

The pre-dawn launch of an Air Force Titan 4 rocket carrying a secret military payload was grounded at the last minute Sunday for unknown reasons, sources said, and there was no word on when another attempt might be made.

Titan 4 countdowns are conducted in secrecy, and the usual indicators of an impending launch--Coast Guard safety advisories to boaters, reports from weather reconnaissance aircraft and so on--were absent Sunday night, implying a launch attempt was not in the works for today.

But given a Pentagon-imposed news blackout, it was not possible to immediately confirm when the rocket might take off.

But reliable sources said the Titan 4 had to get off the launch pad by today or prelaunch processing for the space shuttle Discovery, scheduled for liftoff around Oct. 7, would take priority over the Titan 4 under an agreement between the Air Force and NASA.

If so, the Titan launch could be on hold indefinitely.

The Titan 4, possibly carrying a spy satellite to help monitor the Persian Gulf, was thought to have been scheduled for liftoff Sunday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, according to government radio traffic monitored by reporters.

The rocket’s payload may be a $180-million Defense Support Program early-warning spacecraft, equipped with a large infrared telescope capable of detecting rocket launches on the ground.