David Pescovitz: As several BB readers speculated, the mystery ship, named The Sage, in Portland Harbor (previous
post) is apparently in the area to track a giant Titan rocket scheduled for launch tonight. (
Link for live coverage.) The Titan will deliver a military satellite into orbit. Neither the Air Force or Lockheed Martin, contractor for the Titan, will confirm or deny that the Sage is monitoring the launch, but all signs point to yes. From the Portland Press Herlad:
The offshore supply ship is equipped with an antenna to monitor boosters during launches, said Doug Sayers, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin, which made the Titan's two boosters. The defense contractor is leasing the Sage...
Roger Guillemette, a correspondent for the Cape Canaveral bureau of Space.com, a Web site that covers space-related news, said he has no doubt about the vessel's mission.
"It's there to track the Titan for the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office," he said.
Brown said the Sage's departure Wednesday has confirmed that it is here to track the Titan. He said NASA is not preparing any other launches in the near future for this flight path.
Link (Thanks, Loren Coleman!) Related...
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