Winds play a major role in every aspect of weather on Earth. With information from QuikScat, scientists expect to better understand the affect of winds on oceans and improve weather forecasting.

The satellite weighed 2,140 pounds (970 kg) fully-fueled at launch and its main structure is 6.3 feet (2.2 meters) by 4.9 feet (1.7 meter) by 4 feet (1.4 meter). The satellite is planned for a two-year science mission from its circular, near-polar orbit 500 miles (800 kilometers) above Earth. The cost of the QuikScat mission is $93 million.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., managed development of the satellite, designed and built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. QuikScat is managed for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, D.C., by JPL. Denver-based Lockheed Martin Astronautics provided the booster under contract to the U.S. Air Force. Lockheed Martin and the Air Force provided launch services to JPL and NASA.

"Titan II's proven eight-for-eight record of reliability is a credit to the Air Force-Lockheed Martin Titan II team," said G. Thomas Marsh, president, Lockheed Martin Astronautics. "We are pleased to have played a role in launching this important satellite that will enable scientists to better understand ocean winds and improve weather forecasting."

Astronautics launched the Titan II under contract to the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles, Calif. This was the eighth consecutive successful launch of a Titan II space launch vehicle (SLV) and the first since May 13, 1998. As intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Titan IIs served as key elements of the nation's strategic deterrent for more than two decades. Titan IIs also launched 10 manned and two unmanned missions for NASA during the Gemini program in the 1960s. The Titan II SLV launched today is one of 14 former ICBMs Astronautics refurbished for space launches.