Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral
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Image courtesy of Corel Photography
Rocket and Top Secret Satellite Explode!
News story originally written on August 12, 1998
The 18-story tall Titan rocket and its payload exploded today less than a minute after take-off. Debris from this $350 million rocket and $1 billion satellite rained down on the Atlantic Ocean. No injuries have been reported.
The Lockheed Martin rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station in Florida. It was to carry a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite into orbit. We can only speculate that this satellite would have become a part of an array of satellites used by the U.S. to monitor "nuclear hotspots", nations that are increasing their nuclear weapon capabilities.
This is indeed one of the costliest explosions in U.S. space program history! Investigations by the U.S. Air Force will begin immediately.
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