KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
There will be some safety restrictions in effect on land, sea and in the air Friday in anticipation of the afternoon rocket launch at the Kodiak Launch Complex on Narrow Cape.
The rocket reportedly contains seven payloads with more than a dozen different experiments.
Air Force spokesman Joe Davidson is in Kodiak helping coordinate the launch. He reported Thursday that the total cost of the seven satellites is $120 million. The cost of the Minotaur IV rocket including a new propulsion system is $50 million.
Anyone with questions about the restrictions can call the Alaska Aerospace Corporation’s ground safety officer Mike Morton at 907-743-3500. Questions about the Coast Guard’s exclusionary zone can be directed to the Coast Guard at 486-5918.
— (rocket 1 :39 "The U.S. Air Force … for safety reasons." )
A security checkpoint will be blocking all vehicles not authorized in advance. Motorists will be advised of the best viewing sites for the launch outside the restricted area.
Additionally all non-authorized visitors and vehicles will be cleared from the area past the roadblock about six hours before the launch. That includes Fossil Beach. Once the launch has been completed and the area inspected the roadblock will be lifted.
The U.S. Coast Guard is also erecting a no-go area for aircraft and ships off the coast of Narrow Cape and extending approximately one hundred miles.
