Tag: Vandenberg Air Force Base
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Classified payload hoisted atop Delta 4 rocket at Vandenberg
A clandestine satellite owned by the National Reconnaissance Office has been raised atop its United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, for liftoff Jan. 10. Already encapsulated inside the Delta 4’s payload fairing, the spacecraft was recently transferred from a nearby processing facility and hoisted by a crane inside the…
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Delta 4 launch from California slips to January
File photo of a Delta 4 rocket standing on Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: ULA The launch of a top secret National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has been pushed back from Dec. 13 until no earlier than Jan. 10 to complete software validation…
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Video: NROL-42 launch aboard the Atlas 5 rocket
The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, standing 197 feet tall and and weighing 1.2 million pounds, unleashes 2.4 million pounds of thrust from its main engine and four side-mounted solid boosters at 10:49:47 p.m. local time (1:49:47 a.m. EDT; 0549:47 GMT) to launch the secret NROL-42 payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office from…
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Photos: News media images of Atlas 5 launch
The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket leaves Space Launch Complex 3-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on the NROL-42 satellite-deployment mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. Photo credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News See earlier NROL-42 coverage.
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Photos: Atlas 5 powers NRO payload into the night
The Atlas 5 rocket blasts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for its late-night ascent to deploy the NROL-42 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. Credit: Alex Polimeni/Spaceflight Now See earlier NROL-42 coverage.
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Signals intelligence gatherer successfully launched by powerful Atlas 5 rocket
A signals intercepter for the U.S. spy satellite agency was successfully launched into a high orbit over the top of the world by an Atlas 5 rocket on Saturday night. Liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California came at 10:49:47 p.m. local time (1:49:47 a.m. EDT; 0549:47 GMT Sunday) after an eight-hour countdown. Rapidly…
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Photos: Gantry rolled back to reveal Atlas 5 rocket for launch
The mobile service tower retracts from the Atlas 5 rocket, revealing the 197-foot-tall vehicle for liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, carrying the classified NROL-42 national security payload for the U.S. government. Credit: United Launch Alliance See earlier NROL-42 coverage.
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Preview: ULA milestone launch for National Reconnaissance Office set
Patches of the 25 NRO missions, including this week’s upcoming launch, that have been entrusted to ULA rockets. United Launch Alliance, a union of Atlas and Delta rockets formed a decade ago for U.S. government spacelift needs, will conduct its 25th deployment mission for the country’s spy satellite agency Thursday night. The milestone launch in…
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Fact sheet: Atlas 5 rocket to launch the NROL-42 mission from Vandenberg
*** AV-072/NROL-42 launch fact sheet *** Payload: CLASSIFIED NATIONAL SECURITY PAYLOAD NRO satellite in Molniya orbit Collects signals intelligence Launch Date: Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017 Target Launch Time: 10:30 p.m. local 1:30 a.m. EDT on Sept. 24 0530 GMT on Sept. 24 Unclassified Launch Period: Four hours 7:25-11:35 p.m. local 0225-0635 GMT on Sept. 24…
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Photos: NROL-42 payload joins Atlas 5 booster for launch
This photo gallery shows the classified National Reconnaissance Office payload, already encapsulated in the 18-foot-diameter nose cone, being lifted atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas-Centaur rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 3-East pad. This milestone was achieved on Aug. 27. Launch of NROL-42 is planned for Thursday night, Sept. 21, at 10:38…