Keith Hall, head of the Pentagon's National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) told the House Select Intelligence Committee that two Titan IV rockets failed to deliver their satellites to the proper orbits because of poor quality control.

Hall said that "a misplaced decimal point" in the rocket's control software was the cause of a Titan IVB/Centaur failure in late April. Hall said that an investigation was still underway by the Air Force and the rocket's builder, Lockheed Martin, and that a final cause for the computer software error would be identified.

Hall also said that the Air Force was working to clear the version of the military Titan IVB with the Boeing-made Inertial Upper Stage rocket for flight.

A unit similar to the one that misfired aboard a Titan IV in early April, dooming an early warning satellite, will be lofting NASA's Chandra space telescope aboard the Space Shuttle next month.

The Air Force has promised NASA a clean bill of health for the upper stage rocket before the Shuttle launch.

AirForce Switches To Dual EELV Production

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Space

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

SPACEDAILY

Satellite Launch To Boost DTH In India
Calcutta, India (SPX) Dec 28, 2005
The successful launch Thursday of India's heaviest satellite from spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana may have boosted the country's space research efforts to yet another level, but it has also lifted the spirits of at least three Direct-To-Home televisions broadcasters, one of which has been waiting for years to launch its services in India.