TacSat-2 launched into space with flawless liftoff
A Minotaur I rocket lifts off carrying the TacSat-2 micro satellite as well as NASA's GeneSat-1 spacecraft Dec. 16 from NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility near Wallops Island, Va. Featuring approximately 11 onboard experiments, TacSat-2, administered by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., serves as the forerunner for rapid, responsive satellite production, launch and operation. (U.S. Air Force photo/Michael P. Kleiman)