Vandenberg AFB.
Minotaur lifts off at 7:24:29pm PDT on 09-22-2005
To read about the launch site and mission click here!
Minotaur stands ready the morning before launch inside its new gantry.
Liftoff with the Streak Satellite from SLC-8 30 minutes after sunset!
Insulation that covers the 2st stage is blown away at ignition!
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency named the Satellite "Streak" and now you know why!
This 2 minute streak photo was taken with a 24mm at a distance of 115 miles from SLC-8.
The light below the break in the streak (Coast Phase) and 3th stage ignition is the planet Venus.
This photo is the first in a sequence shot from Lake Castaic, Calif. 115 miles from Vandenberg AFB.
Second stage cutoff and third stage ignition!
A closeup of 3rd stage ignition.
High altitude winds swirl the smoke plume and create a beautiful "Twilight Phenomena"
The launch vehicle, derived from Minuteman 2 ICBM missile 1st & 2nd stages and
Pegasus rocket 3rd & 4th stages, placed the STP-R1 satellite platform into orbit