Picosat 7/Picosat 8, were ejected from the Mightysat II.1 satellite on September 7 at 1939 UTC into a 511 x 539 km x 97.8 deg orbit. The 0.25 kg satellites were connected by a 30 m tether and were cataloged as a single object. Mightysat II.1 (Sindri) was launched in July 2000, and the deployment of the picosats was planned for a year after launch.

Successful first launch of the prototype of the three-stage version of the Taurus launch vehicle being developed by Orbital Sciences for Boeing for use in the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. The vehicle launched the dummy payload on a trajectory over the Pacific Ocean, reaching an altitude of 2100 km and traveling 6500 km down range.

The Orbital Sciences Corperation booster was successfully tested with a mock EKV after a one-day launch delay. Shock and vibration environments were measured and compared to previous test levels. Preliminary analyses suggest that the new booster produced lower than expected vibrations at the EKV.

Dummy EKV payload. Launch delayed from August, September, and December 18, 2003. Booster Verification Test -5 tested a three-stage booster configuration for use with the Missile Defense Agency's Ground-based Midcourse Defense System. Built by Lockheed Martin Corp., the booster was one of two slated for use with the GMD system. The system was designed to intercept and destroy long-range ballistic missiles.