Rocket Propellant Leak Occurs During Titan IV OPeration at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. — Rocket propellant leaked at Space
Launch Complex No. 40 here at approximately 6 p.m. as the propellant was being
loaded onto a Titan IV rocket.

At no time was there a risk to the general public. There were no injuries to
personnel in the area. It is estimated that approximately 50 gallons of the
propellant leaked, but the official amount will not be determined until the
investigation of the incident is completed.

The second stage of the Titan IV uses nitrogen tetroxide, a toxic hypergolic
oxidizer. The plume dissipated harmlessly before reaching populated areas of
Kennedy Space Center, just west of SLC 40. As a precautionary measure, KSC
officials were notified about the incident.

"Our emergency response team was immediately dispatched to the scene to secure
the site and assess the potential risk to those at Cape Canaveral and the
surrounding area," said Col. Ev Thomas, 45th Space Wing vice commander. "All
those involved were in full protective equipment and were able to control the
leak within minutes."

For every fuel loading operation, worst case scenarios are modeled by Range
Safety personnel to ensure the overall safety and security of the operation.
Calculations include weather conditions, amount of propellant and potential
credible failures. If at any time a condition exists that exceed established
safety criteria, the operation is immediately halted.

The cause of the leak is under investigation and the status of the Titan IV
launch, which was scheduled for Aug. 18, is unknown at this time.