 Vernier solo mode was not planned for this launch due to the direct ascent trajectory and VECO was to take place at T+280 seconds, however, a malfunction of a timer relay prevented this from happening and the verniers continued operating until propellant depletion.There were also minor problems with the Atlas pneumatic and flight control systems, however, none of them negatively affected overall booster performance.At an altitude of about , the first stage separated from the second stage.