The US military is sending a military satellite into space to monitor possible missile attacks, one of the nation's highest priority initiatives for meeting sophisticated 21st century national security threats. <br/>The Geo-3 satellite mounted on a Atlas V rocket takes off from Florida. The satellite capitalizes on infrared technology for defense purposes that include missile warning, missile counter-defense, intelligence gathering, and geospatial situational awareness to support troops. The Air Force fired the Geo-1 and Geo-2 satellites into space in 2011 and 2013, respectively.