ATLANTIC -- A satellite designed to detect hidden enemy weapons and quickly inform U.S. troops of their location is set for launch tonight from Virginia's Eastern Shore.
The Air Force TacSet-3 satellite is set to blast off between 8 and 11 p.m. from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Atlantic. The 69-foot-high Minotaur 1 rocket will be in orbit for one year.
Scientists say the 880-pound satellite atop the $60 million spacecraft will offer hyperspectral images and deliver them in 10 minutes. Officials say it is especially suited to battle conditions in the rugged, mountainous terrain of Afghanistan.
Military officials say it the satellite is successful, it could be ready for actual battlefield use in a year or two.
-- The Associated Press
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