Missile warning satellite placed on Atlas V rocket

A week before its planned launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a U.S. missile warning satellite on Thursday was hoisted atop an Atlas V rocket at Launch Complex 41. The roughly 10,000-pound spacecraft worth $1.2 billion is equipped with infrared sensors to provide early detection and tracking of ballistic missiles. The Lockheed Martin-built Space Based Infrared System satellite, known as SBIRS GEO-3, will be the third placed in a geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles over the equator, where it will appear to hold a fixed position in the sky. A fourth satellite is expected to launch late this year to complete the operational constellation. More

(Source: Florida Today - Jan 13)