In the early morning hours of Feb. 6, Vandenberg Air Force Base launched a Minotaur I rocket carrying a national security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. “The 30th Space Wing and its mission partners have a long history of successful Minotaur launches, and we are proud to continue that history again here today,” 30th Space Wing commander Col. Richard Boltz said in a release to the media. The launch was a combined effort of more than 200 personnel from the 30th Space Wing, National Reconnaissance Office, Orbital Sciences Corporation, and the Space and Missile Systems Center. The 30th Space Wing’s next launch is a Taurus XL rocket for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration scheduled for Feb. 23.
This article appears in Feb 10-17, 2011.