 The spacecraft was launched on Atlas 80D coupled to Thor-Able upper stages including a Hercules ABL solid-propellant third stage, one year and a day after the Atlas-Able pad explosion on LC-12.While P-3 had used a recycled booster from the Mercury program, which had a number of custom modifications, P-30's launch vehicle (Atlas 80D) was a standard-configuration Atlas D ICBM with the exception of thicker skin to support the additional weight of the upper stages.Atlas BECO was performed at T+250 seconds and SECO at T+275 seconds.