September 21, 2023
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  • [ September 20, 2023 ] SpaceX launches Falcon 9 on record-breaking 17th flight for booster Falcon 9
  • [ September 19, 2023 ] Radar-imaging satellite lost as Rocket Lab Electron rocket suffers launch failure News
  • [ September 18, 2023 ] Radar-imaging satellite lost as Rocket Lab Electron rocket fails News
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  • [ September 12, 2023 ] FAA closes SpaceX-led Starship mishap investigation News
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Photos: Gantry rolled back to reveal Atlas 5 rocket for launch

September 24, 2017 Justin Ray

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.

  • Atlas 5
  • AV-072
  • mst rollback
  • National Reconnaissance Office
  • NROL-42
  • United Launch Alliance
  • Vandenberg Air Force Base

Related Articles

Mission Reports

Familiar rocket with new name returns to flight Tuesday

October 30, 2017 Stephen Clark

More than six years after back-to-back failures left the Taurus rocket with an uncertain future, a redesigned version of the launcher sporting a new name is set to loft 10 small Earth-imaging satellites into orbit Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Atlas 5

Boeing delays first Starliner test flight to August, NASA extends duration of first crew mission

April 2, 2019 Stephen Clark

Boeing said Tuesday the first orbital test flight of its commercial crew capsule, named the Starliner, will be delayed until August “in order to avoid unnecessary schedule pressure” and give priority on the Atlas 5 rocket’s manifest to a U.S. Air Force communications satellite. NASA confirmed Wednesday that officials have approved an extension of the Starliner’s first crewed mission to last up to several months.

Delta 2

Photos: Final batch of SMAP launch shots aboard Delta 2 rocket

February 5, 2015 Justin Ray

“We had a terrific ride into space aboard the United Launch Alliance’s Delta 2 vehicle. They deposited us exactly where we wanted to be with with accuracy and precision,” said Kent Kellogg, NASA’s SMAP project manager.

News Headlines

  • SpaceX launches Falcon 9 on record-breaking 17th flight for booster
    September 20, 2023
  • Radar-imaging satellite lost as Rocket Lab Electron rocket suffers launch failure
    September 19, 2023
  • Radar-imaging satellite lost as Rocket Lab Electron rocket fails
    September 18, 2023
  • Russian-US crew launches on Soyuz rocket to International Space Station
    September 15, 2023
  • FAA closes SpaceX-led Starship mishap investigation
    September 12, 2023
  • Home
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    • Soyuz
    • Space Station
  • Members
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    • Members Content
  • Live
  • Shop

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