CAPE CANAVERAL Air Station, Fla., Oct. 19, 2000 – A Lockheed Martin Atlas IIA rocket roared from Pad 36A carrying the Defense Satellite Communications System III (DSCS III) satellite for the U.S. Air Force. Liftoff occurred at 8 :40 p.m. EDT, followed by successful spacecraft separation from the launch vehicle just under a half hour later. The launch was conducted by a combined team of Lockheed Martin, the United States Air Force and International Launch Services (ILS).
