Titan II Launched

RELEASE NUMBER 00-0916

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CA – A Titan II rocket was launched today at 3:22 a.m. PST. The rocket took off from Space Launch Complex-4 west
carrying NASA’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-L weather satellite.

The launch is the result of a combined effort by the men and women of the 30th Space Wing, NASA and the Space and Missile Systems Center in Los
Angeles. The spacelift commander for this mission is Col. Steve Lanning, 30th Space Wing commander. Maj. Dave Salm, 2nd Space Launch Squadron,
is the Air Force launch director.

NOAA-L will primarily provide long-range weather forecasting. It will operate in tandem with currently orbiting NOAA satellites. NOAA-L will ensure that
non-visible data, for any region of the Earth, is no more than six hours old.

Information about the Titan II rocket is available on-line at www.spacecom.af.mil/hqafspc/library/facts/titan2.html

MEDIA ADVISORY: Video footage will be available three hours after the launch at the Visitor Control Center. Still photography will be sent via e-mail.

– 30 SW –