Atlas V to launch NROL-79
Set for its first West Coast Launch of 2017, ULA's Atlas V will take to the skies on March 1st with the classified NROL-79 payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the government agency in charge of all U.S. spy satellites. In all likelihood, this mission will involve a pair of naval reconnaissance satellites flying under the codename Intruder, joining a long-standing program to deliver ship and aircraft tracking data to tactical planners.
As is typical for NRO missions, Atlas V will fly into a pre-arranged News Blackout at the point of payload fairing separation approximately four and a half minutes into the mission to allow NROL-79 to reach its classified orbit without the public watching.
Live Video by United Launch Alliance
Launch Date: March 1, 2017 | Launch Updates |
Window: 17:50 to NLT 18:30 UTC | Identifying NROL-79 |
Launch Site: SLC-3E, Vandenberg | Atlas V 401 Launch Vehicle |
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V 401 | Countdown Timeline |
Payload: NROL-79 (NOSS 3-8) | ULA Archive |
Upmass: ~6,500kg | |
Target Orbit: 1,010 x 1,200km, 63.4° | |