Crowned with a record-setting horde of 29 satellites, a Minotaur 1 rocket bounded into the sky from Virginia on Tuesday night and put on an evening sky show before releasing the medley of spacecraft more than 300 miles above Earth.

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Orbital Sciences, the operator of the Minotaur rocket, has issued a post-launch press release.

"This mission marks the final launch for Minotaur under the initial Orbital/Suborbital Program-1 and -2 contracts, culminating in the successful delivery of 74 satellites to orbit and 10 suborbital payloads to high-altitude trajectories over 25 total missions," said Ron Grabe, Orbital's executive vice president and general manager of its launch systems group.

"Orbital's team is absolutely focused on offering the most reliable and cost-effective launch systems to our government customers for their important space missions. This dedication and teamwork with the Air Force has resulted in achieving 25 consecutive successful missions since 2000. We look forward to continuing this collaboration under the OSP-3 contract in the years ahead."

Tonight's flight extends the Minotaur rocket's record to 15 successful satellite launches into Earth orbit. The Minotaur 1 configuration that launched tonight has now achieved 11 successes in 11 launches since 2000, the larger Minotaur 4 booster has conducted three flawless satellite missions, and the Minotaur 5 variant launched NASA's LADEE mission to the moon in September.

The deployment of the mission's 28 CubeSats will occur out of range of communications stations, so confirmation of that event will not be known until the satellites pass over ground antennas in the next few hours.

T+plus 12 minutes, 20 seconds. Spacecraft separation! The STPSat 3 satellite has been deployed. It's a host platform for five sensors and experiments for monitor the space environment and demonstrate new military technologies.

T+plus 11 minutes. Deployment of the STPSat 3 satellite is scheduled to occur in about one minute.

T+plus 10 minutes, 25 seconds. The fourth stage has completed its burn and the vehicle should be in orbit.

T+plus 9 minutes, 15 seconds. Third stage separation and fourth stage ignition are confirmed. The fourth stage Orion 38 solid rocket motor will burn for about 67 seconds to finish the job of placing the STPSat 3 satellite and 28 CubeSats into orbit.

T+plus 7 minutes, 30 seconds. The third stage will be released at about T+plus 8 minutes, 56 seconds, and the fourth stage will ignite at about T+9 minutes, 7 seconds.

T+plus 6 minutes, 45 seconds. The Minotaur is now 850 miles southeast of the launch site at an altitude of 270 miles. It is traveling at 11,700 mph.

The rocket has re-oriented for third stage jettison and fourth stage ignition.

T+plus 6 minutes. No problems have been reported thus far in this 11th flight of a Minotaur 1 rocket.

The on-board computer has computed the expected ignition time for the Orion 38 fourth stage.

T+plus 5 minutes. Systems aboard the Minotaur continue to look good as the rocket coasts to orbital altitude.

T+plus 3 minutes, 30 seconds. The third stage has burned out and the Minotaur is beginning a coast phase lasting more than five minutes. The rocket will fly to an altitude of about 310 miles, where the third stage will separate and the fourth stage will ignite to reach orbital velocity.

T+plus 3 minutes. Normal vehicle performance reported by the launch team.

T+plus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The 61-inch-diameter nose cone protecting the payloads during the early portions of the launch has been jettisoned.

T+plus 2 minutes, 20 seconds. Second stage separation and third stage ignition confirmed.

The Minotaur is now being powered by components from the Pegasus rocket. The Orion 50XL third stage will fire for about 74 seconds.

T+plus 2 minutes. Coming up on staging.

T+plus 61 seconds. The M55A1 first stage motor has completed its burn and separated from the SR19 second stage motor. Both stages are heritage motors from the Minuteman ballistic missile.

T+plus 38 seconds. Passing through the area of maximum aerodynamic pressure on the rocket. Velocity is 1,750 mph.

T+plus 15 seconds. The rocket has pitched on course for the climb to space over the Atlantic Ocean.

LIFTOFF! Liftoff of the Minotaur 1 rocket launching a record 29 satellites to advance U.S. military needs, space research and education.

T-minus 30 seconds to launch.

T-minus 50 seconds. Data recording charts are running.

T-minus 90 seconds. The rocket's ordnance is being armed.

T-minus 2 minutes. Auto sequence start. The Minotaur's flight computer is now controlling the final countdown.

T-minus 3 minutes. The range is clear for launch. The Minotaur rocket's internal computer will assume control of the countdown in one minute.

T-minus 4 minutes. The flight computer has been armed and the rocket's C-band tracking beacon is functioning as expected on internal power.

T-minus 5 minutes. The rocket's avionics are switching to internal power.

T-minus 6 minutes. A final poll of the launch team concluded with authorization to launch the Minotaur 1 rocket at 8:15 p.m. EST this evening.

Ground ordnance has been enabled and launch vehicle telemtry data is now being archived.

T-minus 7 minutes. The Minotaur's payloads are verified configured for launch.

T-minus 8 minutes. After transitioning to internal power, the rocket's flight termination system is now being armed.

T-minus 9 minutes and counting. The rocket's flight termination system has switched to internal power.

T-minus 10 minutes and counting.

The launch hazard area is clear and the official targeted launch time of 8:15 p.m. EST (0115 GMT) is being loaded into the Minotaur's flight computer.

T-minus 15 minutes and counting. A status check of the launch team indicates all remains "go" for launch.

T-minus 18 minutes and counting. Today's launch will be the 11th flight of a Minotaur 1 launch vehicle, which is powered by two stages from the Minuteman 2 ballistic missile and two stages derived from the Orbital Sciences air-launched Pegasus rocket. It is the sixth Minotaur rocket launch from Wallops Island, Va.

At liftoff, the rocket will streak away from the launch pad on more than 200,000 pounds of thrust from its M55A1 first stage motor. It will pass the speed of sound and the point of maximum dynamic pressure in the first 40 seconds of flight, then shed its solid-fueled first stage at T+plus 61 seconds.

Its Minuteman-heritage SR19 second stage will fire for 72 seconds, then give way to an Orion 50XL third stage. During the third stage burn, the Minotaur's 61-inch payload fairing will be jettisoned.

After a lengthy coast phase, the Orion 38 fourth stage will ignite to accelerate the ORS 1 payload to orbital velocity. Spacecraft separation of STPSat 3 is expected at T+plus 12 minutes, 14 seconds, followed a few minutes later by deployment of the 28 CubeSat secondary payloads.

Be sure to check out our launch timeline for a more detailed look at the flight sequence.

Upper level winds are acceptable for launch this evening.

The Minotaur's flight termination system has been tested. The destruct device would be used to destroy the rocket if it veered off course during flight.

The Minotaur's flight termination system has been tested. The destruct device would be used to destroy the rocket if it veered off course during flight.

T-minus 25 minutes and counting. The rocket's tracking beacon has passed a preflight check, and the flight termination system is now being tested.

T-minus 30 minutes and counting.

All systems are functioning well at this point in the countdown. The rocket's C-band tracking beacon has been powered up for checks of the Minotaur's destruct system.

The Wallops launch danger area has been confirmed clear of all personnel.

The weather outlook calls for temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit, high cirrus clouds and winds from the north at 10 knots. The probability of violating weather constraints is 0 percent.

T-minus 52 minutes and counting. The rocket's S-band communications system is verified healthy and ready for launch.

T-minus 55 minutes and counting. The first steps of the final countdown checklist include activating the Minotaur's avionics for alignment of the vehicle's inertial guidance system and verifying the rocket's S-band telemetry communications system signal strength.

T-minus 58 minutes and counting. Rocket systems are being activated for final testing.

T-minus 60 minutes and counting. The countdown has resumed with a targeted launch time of 8:15 p.m. EST (0115 GMT) after resolving an issue with a downrange tracking site in North Carolina.

At this point in the countdown, the launch team is opening up the final checklist to guide activities through liftoff.

The Coquina range station on North Carolina's Outer Banks is reported to be up and running. Coming up is a test to verify Coquina has a good link with the rocket's flight termination system.

LAUNCH DELAY. The countdown is holding at T-minus 60 minutes as workers continue to try to resolve a problem at the tracking station at Coquina, N.C., south of the Wallops launch site.

The launch window extends to 9:15 p.m. EST (0215 GMT), so clocks must resume by 8:15 p.m. EST to facilitate a launch this evening.

Follow along with tonight's launch by checking out this timeline of key events during the Minotaur's ascent into space.

And view a ground track map of the Minotaur's flight path on the way to orbit this evening.

If you're on the U.S. East coast from the Carolinas to New England, you might be able to see the Minotaur rocket streaking into space this evening. Check out a map showing visibility opportunities.

T-minus 90 minutes. This is a relatively quiet phase of the countdown until the final prelaunch checklist begins at T-minus 60 minutes.

Engineers continue to troubleshoot a problem at the downrange tracking station in Coquina, N.C. If the range is "red" at 6:30 p.m. EST (2330 GMT), the countdown will hold at T-minus 60 minutes until the issue is resolved.

The launch window tonight extends to 9:15 p.m. EST (0215 GMT).

A reminder if you will be away from your computer but would like to receive occasional countdown updates, sign up for our Twitter feed to get text message updates on your cellphone. U.S. readers can also sign up from their phone by texting "follow spaceflightnow" to 40404. (Standard text messaging charges apply.)

The launch team has completed final vehicle arming, and the pad crew is preparing to evacuate the launch pad for launch.

After completing the pre-flight vehicle test checklist, Minotaur and ground support equipment have been powered down.

During the last couple of hours, the team retracted the launch pad gantry, established radio connections with the Minotaur launcher, and checked the rocket's flight termination system. And the launch team also aligned the Minotaur 1's inertial navigation system.

The launch team reports the launch pad is ready to begin final arming procedures for the Minotaur 1 rocket. The pad team is completing the final arming of the launcher now.

There are no issues with the launch vehicle or the payload at this point in the countdown, but the Wallops Range is "red" as engineers continue to troubleshoot an issue with the back-up flight termination system transmitter and a data circuit at the downrange ground station in Coquina, N.C.

The X-ray flux issue has been cleared because the amplified stream of particles is not aimed at Earth, according to an Orbital Sciences spokesperson.

The mobile gantry at launch pad 0B has been retracted away from the 69-foot-tall Minotaur 1 launch vehicle, exposing the rocket at the oceanfront launch complex at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.

The structure is moved back from the launch pad using a truck similar to an airplane pushback tractor.

The gantry's height was raised to 127 feet to support the Minotaur 5 rocket's first flight from Wallops in September. The Minotaur 5 is about 11 feet taller than the Minotaur 1.

The mobile gantry was reconfigured following the Minotaur 5's launch of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, or LADEE, mission on Sept. 6. Work platforms were moved to accommodate the Minotaur 1, which has a 5.5-foot-diameter first stage motor based on the Minuteman ballistic missile. The larger Minotaur 5 is based on the Peacekeeper missile and is 7.7 feet wide at the bottom.

Today's launch marks the sixth Minotaur flight from launch pad 0B at Wallops.

And the earlier issue with a transmitter at a tracking station in North Carolina has been resolved and will be cleared once it completes prelaunch testing.

There is a 100 percent probability of acceptable weather conditions on the ground at the time of launch, but space weather conditions are currently NO GO for launch.

Officials are monitoring an X-ray flux event caused by a solar storm.

There is also an issue with a backup flight termination system transmitter at the Minotaur's tracking station in Coquina, N.C.

T-minus 5 hours and counting. The launch team has assembled in the launch control center on the main base of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, and clocks have begun ticking backward toward liftoff at 7:30 p.m. EDT (0030 GMT).

Nearly 50 senior managers from NASA, the Air Force, Orbital Sciences and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport occupy the control room during countdown operations.

The first steps of the countdown include the activation of the launcher's on-board computer, followed by communications checks between the rocket's S-band telemetry system and ground receivers.

The Minotaur's inertial guidance system will aligned for flight, and the launch team will check the rocket's destruct system to ensure it is ready to terminate the flight if the rocket goes off course and threatens populated areas.

After initial testing is complete, the launch team will power down the Minotaur rocket, workers will clear the launch pad, and the final prelaunch checklist will begin at T-minus 60 minutes.

The launch of a Minotaur 1 rocket from Virginia is on schedule for tonight at 7:30 p.m. EST (0030 GMT).

The launch window extends until 9:15 p.m. EST (0215 GMT), and the weather forecast calls for nearly ideal conditions with clear skies, temperatures in the mid-40s Fahrenheit, and just a 5 percent chance of weather prohibiting launch.

The launch is sponsored by the U.S. military's Operationally Responsive Space office. Based at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, the ORS program was established to develop and demonstrate technologies to lower the cost and increase the pace of Defense Department space missions.

The ultimate objective of the ORS initiative is the rapid call-up of launchers and satellites on standby, which can be quickly assembled and launched when military commanders need them.

Tonight's mission is aimed at testing an autonomous launch safety system for the ORS program, but the 69-foot-tall Minotaur is also loaded with 29 satellites.

The largest payload is STPSat 1, a refrigerator-sized satellite that serves as a host platform for five sensors and experiments for the military, NASA and NOAA.

The Minotaur is also carrying 28 CubeSats housed in "wafer" deployment mechanisms below STPSat 3.

The countdown is due to begin at 2:30 p.m. EST (1930 GMT).

Mission managers on Sunday gave approval to proceed with final launch preparations for Tuesday night's flight of a Minotaur 1 rocket on a mission to demonstrate cost-cutting technologies for the U.S. military.

The mission is set for liftoff in a window between 7:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. EST Tuesday (0030-0215 GMT Wednesday) from launch pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Officials met Sunday afternoon for the launch readiness review to discuss the status of the launch vehicle, its payload comprising 29 satellites, ground systems and weather.

There is a 95 percent chance of acceptable conditions at the time of launch, according to Keith Koehler, a NASA Wallops spokesperson.

On Monday, workers planned to complete final arming of the Minotaur 1 launch vehicle, which is powered by four solid-fueled stages derived from the Minuteman missile and commercial programs.

Vehicle testing and closeouts are complete, officials said.

Tuesday's Minotaur launch from Virginia depends on today's launch of NASA's Mars-bound MAVEN spacecraft going on schedule from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The two missions share a tracking site in Antigua, and if MAVEN's launch is delayed 24 hours, the Minotaur flight would be pushed back as well.

The launch countdown is set to begin about 5 hours before liftoff Tuesday.

The nighttime launch will be visible along the U.S. East Coast, with viewing opportunities available from South Carolina to New York and inland to the Appalachians.

We'll have live coverage and check back later for a full launch preview and more details on the mission.

If you're in the area and want to see the launch, check out this map showing its visibility, weather permitting.

Working on an austere launch pad in Virginia, technicians have constructed a 69-foot-tall rocket out of stockpiled government-furnished missile stages and commercial hardware for launch Nov. 19 with a record payload of 29 satellites.

On Thursday, workers hoisted the upper stack atop the Minotaur 1 rocket atop the booster's first and second stages. The upper stack is composed of the Minotaur 1's Orion 50XL and Orion 38 second and third stage motors, plus the rocket's payload fairing containing the mission's satellites.

The mission's 29-satellite manifest is headlined by STPSat 3, a host spacecraft for five experiments and sensors to measure the space environment. Another 28 CubeSats are housed inside "wafers" to deploy from the Minotaur upper stage once it reaches its 310-mile-high orbit.

The satellites are enclosed inside the Minotaur's fairing, which is flying in the 61-inch-diameter configuration for this launch.

Now fully assembled, the Minotaur 1 rocket is in the midst of final testing. Final preparations still to come include a launch rehearsal later this week and a launch readiness review to clear the rocket and its payloads for flight.

It will mark the third space launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport since the first week of September, following another Minotaur launch of NASA's LADEE moon probe and the Antares rocket's second flight with a commercial cargo resupply craft for the International Space Station.

One more launch - another Antares rocket heading for the space station - is scheduled for mid-December to punctuate an unparalleled flurry of activity at the Virginia rocket base.

The spaceport is operated by the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority and lies on property owned by NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

The launch from pad 0B at Wallops is scheduled during a four-hour window opening at 6:30 p.m. EST (2330 GMT) on Nov. 19.

The U.S. military's Operationally Responsive Space office is sponsoring the mission.

Charged with demonstrating innovative technologies, the joint-force ORS program is headquartered at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., with oversight from the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center.

The Nov. 19 launch, known as the ORS 3 mission, will test automated launch vehicle trajectory targeting and range safety systems. Employing such capabilities on future space missions could reduce costs and the time required to prepare rockets for launch.

"These enablers not only focus on the ability to execute a rapid call up mission, they reduce engineering hours from months to days in both cases, resulting in decreased launch costs," says a mission description in an ORS fact sheet.

The ORS 3 mission also followed a commercial model in the procurement of the Minotaur 1 rocket from Orbital Sciences Corp. Officials are conducting the launch under a commercial license granted by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Officials say this approach also reduces costs and simplifies development of the mission.