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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - NASA fired three microsatellites into space Wednesday to study the Earth's magnetic fields, a week after an earlier launch was scrubbed.
The 55-pound ST5 satellites, which will test new technologies for future science missions, were carried aloft from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Lockheed L-1011 jet.
Shortly after 6 a.m., when the plane reached 39,000 feet, a compact Pegasus rocket dropped from the aircraft's belly fired its engine and ferried the satellites on a 10-minute climb into space. The launch was broadcast live on NASA's TV station.
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