No Ill Effects Seen After Rocket Withstood Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne

The Delta II rocket may have sat on the launchpad while the erstwhile winds of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne blew through Cape Canaveral (FL), but when it came time to fly, the storms apparently had no ill effects. Saturday's rather ironic launch of the Delta II with a GPS satellite aboard appeared to go without a hitch.

"Following a 26-minute flight to space, the launch vehicle successfully deployed the GPS satellite. Today's launch marks the 61st consecutive successful launch aboard the Delta 2," said Boeing spokesman Robert Villanueva.

Ironically, Saturday's payload was a Lockheed Martin vehicle. Lockheed and Boeing have been locked in corporate combat ever since Boeing admitted to filching Lockheed documents in order to win an Air Force launch contract. The USAF subsequently took about $1 billion in launches away from Boeing and awarded them to Lockheed. The two companies are still duking it out in court.

The $45 million payload replaces a GPS satellite that's been in orbit since 1991. It was the 61st consecutive launch success for the Delta team. The next launch is scheduled for November 17th.

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com