Video: Atlas V launches from California with NROL-79

Thundering into orbit for the 70th time, ULA’s Atlas V rocket took to the skies on Wednesday, blasting off from California to haul a secret payload into orbit for the U.S. government. Nametagged NROL-79, the mission likely involved a pair of naval surveillance satellites under operation by the National Reconnaissance Office as part of a long-standing program dating back to the 1970s.

>>Read our Launch Recap