Rocket launched from Kodiak complex

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A Minotaur IV rocket was launched successfully Friday from a facility on Kodiak Island. The rocket lifted off as scheduled at 4:24 p.m., carrying 16 experiments on seven satellites.

The mission has enabled not only government scientists to participate but university students as well. Students from the University of Texas at Austin, the U.S. Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy and the University of Michigan all took part in the process.

The director of the Department of Defense's Space Test Program says the mission is intended to inspire the next generation of astronauts, engineers and scientists.

This was the third Minotaur IV to be launched.