Launch of 2 Satellites May Be Test of New ‘Star Wars’ Tracking
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Two “Star Wars” satellites scheduled for a secret launch today are designed to track each other in orbit and one will try to crash into the other, sources said Thursday.
Neither the Strategic Defense Initiative Office nor the National Aeronautics and Space Administration would acknowledge the planned launch of the Delta booster rocket.
But the SDI office, which manages President Reagan’s space-based missile defense project commonly known as “Star Wars,” said it would disclose the payloads and details of the operation after the launching, if it is successful.
The launch will be a first for the Delta since one of the rockets lost first stage engine thrust and was destroyed by a radio signal from the range safety officer May 3. That was one of a series of failures that led to the temporary grounding of all U.S. booster rockets.
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