Washington-Ek Northrop Gramman Minotaur IV Rocket successfully launched several classified payloads for the US National Received Office (NRA) on 16 April, marking the return to the Wandenberg Space Force Base for solid-fumed launch vehicles over a decade after a decade.
Mission, nominated NROL-174, Space Launching Complex 8 (SLC-8) in Wandenberg, California, up to 3:33 PM Eastern. Soon after the liftoff, the NRO confirmed that the launch was successful but did not provide details about the payload.
The national reconnaissance office forms and operates the US spy satellites, and the Defense Department provides intelligence data to intelligence agencies and policy makers.
The launch was the first time since 2011 when a Minotaur rocket has flown an NRO mission from Wandenberg. The previous Wandenberg -based NRO launch was NROL -66 using a minotaur.
The NROL-174 is the third mission launched as part of the Orbital/SuboBital Program-3 (OSP-3), which is managed by the Rocket System Launch Program (RSLP) of the US Space Force. The program is designed to give the government a flexible access to space by purchasing rides on small rockets like Minotaur IV.
Orbital/Sub -Arbitatic Program -3 is a contract vehicle that allows the space force to purchase small and medium -class launch services, mostly on short notice for technology performances, experimental payloads and operation systems.
MINOTAUR IV is a four-step vehicle that is derived from the decomatic Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles. The first three phases are the Peacekeeper Solid Rocket Motors equipped with the government, while the upper platform is a commercial orian solid motor manufactured by Northrop Gramman.
The rocket can take down to 1,730 kg (3,814 pounds) in low Earth orbit and flew in 2010 in 2010. Since then, it has been launched from several places across the US, including Walops Island in Virginia, Kodiak island in Alaska, Cape Canverals in Florida, and Wandenberg in California.
The NROL-174 follows the previous NRO missions, which was launched in 2020 on the Minotaur Rockets-NROL-129 and NROL-1111 in 2021-Launched with NASA’s Wallops flight facility in Virginia.
