Titan IV Explosion at Cape Canaveral

An Air Force statement said the rocket began to self-destruct 40 seconds after it was launched from Space Launch Complex 41. Air Force safety officials sent self-destruct signals to the Titan IV about two seconds later to break up the rocket and reduce potential damage from debris. The destroyed Titan IVA rocket was worth about $400 million and the NRO payload was valued at just under $1 billion dollars, officials said. The launch was to have been the Air Force's last Titan IVA mission.