Navstar

A Navstar navigation satellite was rocketed into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Fla., to join a network of spacecraft that guide bombers, warships, missiles and ground troops with great accuracy. A 128-foot-tall Air Force Delta 2 rocket boosted the $65-million satellite into orbit after the liftoff was delayed a day because of a problem with a fuel tank pressurization system. The Navstar satellites enable U.S.

The Air Force announced Monday that it will launch the fifth of a new type of military navigation satellite Wednesday. The $65-million Navstar satellite is to be carried aloft by a Delta 2 rocket to join a network of spacecraft that can tell American and allied military forces where they are to within 50 feet of any location, regardless of weather.

The U.S. Air Force launched the newest version of McDonnell Douglas Corp.'s Delta rocket Monday, lifting into space a $65-million navigation satellite that will help troops deployed in the Persian Gulf pinpoint their locations accurately. The satellite is built by Rockwell International Corp. in Seal Beach, and the Delta rocket is designed and partly built by McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Co. in Huntington Beach.

A navigation satellite boosted into orbit by a Delta rocket Thursday is the latest in a series of spacecraft capable of pinpointing the location of U.S. military units to within 50 feet. The unmanned rocket thundered into a clear sky at 1:39 a.m., trailing fire as it headed out over the Atlantic Ocean. The $65-million Navstar satellite separated from the booster on schedule about 25 minutes into the flight and settled into an orbit 10,898 miles high.

Sixteen people were evacuated and eight people were treated for smoke inhalation after a short-circuit started a smoldering electrical fire Monday in a $43-million navigational satellite being tested at Rockwell International Corp.'s Seal Beach plant, a company spokesman said. The short occurred about 1:45 p.m., and the smoldering fire was under control within a few minutes, Orange County Fire Department spokeswoman Patti Range said.

The Air Force on Sunday launched a rocket carrying a $65-million navigation satellite. It was the third launch attempt. A Nov. 6 attempt was aborted when the engine failed to ignite. A launch planned for Saturday was thwarted by clouds and possible lightning. The threat of lightning almost forced another delay, but conditions improved and the 12 1/2-story Delta rocket blasted off about six minutes late.

The launching of a $30-million Delta 2 rocket carrying a $65-million Global Positioning System military navigation satellite was postponed Saturday for the second day by bad weather. A third launching attempt was scheduled for Monday. The Navstar satellite is the ninth in a planned network of such spacecraft that ultimately will allow military forces on the ground, at sea and in the air to determine their location and altitude to within 53 feet anywhere in the world.