This of course causes frantic work by the launch crew amidst the attack coming from the republic. The launch crew is told to abort and evacuate as the Republic has breached the border and is closing in on the rocket. The General decides to scrub the launch, but Shiro makes an impassioned plea to which the crew responds and then so does the General. The launch support platforms pull away, leaving the rocket exposed. The military ground defenders abandon the area.
Air defenses engage.
Fighting intensifies and draws nearer the rocket. Bullets and missiles fly around the rocket as the countdown hits go. In the most realistic and visually engaging sequence in the movie, we are shown the launch from a number of angles and at a number of speeds. The war on the ground stops as the rocket goes streaking through the sky and the flack. Shiro makes it into orbit and is transfixed by his view of the planet.