1970年末，一枚泰坦IIIC火箭从当时称为卡纳维拉尔角空军站的40号太空发射复合体升空。它为美国军方搭载了一项绝密载荷。
In late 1970, a Titan IIIC rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at what was then called Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It carried a top-secret payload for the US military.
此后，太空飞行领域发生了巨大变化。泰坦IIIC在完成数十次发射后，于1982年退役。各个泰坦系列火箭继续从40号发射复合体升空，直至2005年。美国空军通过一场受到联合发射联盟强烈反对的竞标程序，将该发射台移交给一家规模不大、鲜为人知的初创公司——SpaceX。如今，卡纳维拉尔角已成为一座“太空军”基地。
Much has changed in spaceflight since then. The Titan IIIC would bow out in 1982 after dozens of launches. Various Titans continued launching from Space Launch Complex 40 until 2005, at which point the US Air Force—in a competitive process hotly opposed by United Launch Alliance—turned the pad over to a small, largely unknown startup called SpaceX. And Cape Canaveral is now a "Space Force" station.
但那些用途未公开的载荷呢？直到上个月，其中一些仍在执行任务。
But those unspecified payloads? Until last month, some of them were still flying operationally.