Tag: NRO
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Payload stacked for NROL-44; ULA, SpaceX win NSSL awards
United Launch Alliance’s (ULA’s) Delta IV Heavy rocket has received its clandestine payload for the upcoming NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office as teams continue launch preparations on SLC-37B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. The mission is set to launch at the end of August and comes as ULA wins 60%…
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Rocket Lab launches 12th Electron, continues work on future plans
After a several week stand-down due to the global coronavirus pandemic, Rocket Lab launched its 12th Electron mission to date—a rideshare mission with payloads from NASA, the NRO, and the University of New South Wales. Following a weather scrub earlier in the week, the mission launched from Rocket Lab’s Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula…
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Rocket Lab’s 12th launch sends satellites into space for NRO, NASA and Australia
Rocket Lab’s low-cost Electron rocket lofted a bevy of small satellites into orbit tonight for the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and a project backed by the Australian government and the University of New South Wales Canberra Space. Liftoff from Rocket Lab’s oceanside launch complex on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula came at 5:12 p.m. local time…
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Rocket Lab launches secret payload from New Zealand for U.S. spy satellite agency
After waiting out high winds, Rocket Lab’s low-cost Electron rocket launched a top-secret payload for the National Reconnaissance Office from New Zealand, halfway around the world from the U.S. spy satellite agency’s headquarters. Liftoff for the “Birds of a Feather” mission took place at 6:56 p.m. PT today (3:56 p.m. local time Friday), nearly three…
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Rocket Lab begins 2020 launch campaign with dedicated NRO mission
After successfully launching six missions and over 20 payloads to orbit in 2019, Rocket Lab conducted its first launch of 2020 using its Electron rocket. The mission lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand to carry the classified NROL-151 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The 14-day launch window is set…
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Rocket Lab announces NRO mission as agency diversifies launch providers
Rocket Lab has announced its first mission of 2020 – a dedicated launch for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Their workhorse Electron rocket, launching from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, will loft the classified NROL-151 satellite to an unknown orbit. The mission was awarded by the NRO as part of their Rapid Acquisition of…
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BlackSky revs up satellite operations and teams up with HawkEye 360 and NRO
An artist’s conception shows BlackSky’s Global satellites in orbit. (BlackSky Illustration) Seattle-based BlackSky is ramping up commercial operations of its satellite-based geospatial intelligence platform, thanks to newly announced deals with the National Reconnaissance Office and HawkEye 360, a company that has its own radio-sensing satellites in orbit. Both deals were announced today in conjunction with…
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Delta 4 rocket launches NROL-71 spy satellite after a month’s worth of delays
United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4 Heavy rocket lifts off from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base, sending the NROL-71 classified payload into space. (ULA Photo) The National Reconnaissance Office’s latest classified spy satellite, NROL-71, was launched today by a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket into California’s sunny skies. Today’s trouble-free countdown at Vandenberg Air…
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ULA Delta IV-Heavy launches NROL-71 following lengthy delay
United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket launched Saturday with the mysterious NROL-71 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office from SLC-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A series of technical and weather-related scrubs hampered the launch attempts, prior to a lengthy stand down to fix a hydrogen leak that scrubbed the final attempt…
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Jeff Bezos and National Reconnaissance Office talk about space and innovation
Betty Sapp, director of the National Reconnaissance Office, sits in on a chat with Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon and Blue Origin. (NRO via Twitter) Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos paid a visit to the National Reconnaissance Office this week — which fits right in with his plan to participate in national security space missions…