National Reconnaissance Office

Delta 4-Heavy countdown aborted moments before launch

December 9, 2018

A dramatic automatic abort 7.5 seconds before the planned liftoff of a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket Saturday night kept the towering launcher on the pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, with a top secret spy payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Photos: Delta 4-Heavy poised for launch with U.S. spy satellite

December 8, 2018

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket stands 233 feet tall at Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, ready for liftoff Saturday night carrying a top secret U.S. government spy satellite into orbit.

Live coverage: Delayed flight of ULA’s heavy-lift rocket set for Tuesday night

December 7, 2018

United Launch Alliance has rescheduled the launch of a Delta 4-Heavy rocket from California for Tuesday at 5:57 p.m. PST (8:57 p.m. EST; 0157 GMT Wednesday), 10 days after a technical problem aborted a countdown less than 10 seconds before liftoff. The heavy-lift rocket will send a top secret National Reconnaissance Office spy payload into orbit.

Air Force releases new target dates for upcoming military launches

September 7, 2018

Managers have pushed back the next flight of United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket from a launch pad in California until no sooner than early December, and the first launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy for the U.S. Air Force has likely been delayed to some time early next year, officials said this week.

Photos: Delta 4 blasts off from Vandenberg’s historic SLC-6 launch pad

January 16, 2018

A United Launch Delta 4 rocket lifted off Friday from the SLC-6 launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, powering into orbit from a historic seaside complex originally developed for crewed missions.

Delta 4 rocket successfully lofts clandestine NRO satellite into orbit

January 13, 2018

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket climbed into orbit Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with a top secret spy satellite, adding a new set of eyes in the sky for the U.S. government’s intelligence community and nudging part of the Delta 4 family closer to retirement.

Watch a replay of the Delta 4 NROL-47 launch

January 12, 2018

Watch a replay of the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, hauling into orbit a new eye in the sky for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Photos: Mobile gantry rolled back to reveal Delta 4 rocket at Vandenberg

January 11, 2018

The 32-story-tall mobile service tower at the Delta 4’s launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California was retracted away from the rocket Thursday in advance of a planned liftoff with a top secret National Reconnaissance Office payload.

Live coverage: Delta 4 launches from California with spy satellite

January 10, 2018

United Launch Alliance kicked off its 2018 launch campaign with a Delta 4 rocket flight at 2:11 p.m. PST (5:11 p.m. EST; 2211 GMT) Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Gusty winds forced officials to call off a launch attempt Wednesday, and technical problems halted a countdown Thursday multiple times. The Delta 4 launched with a top secret spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Delta 4 rocket, clandestine spy satellite ready for liftoff from California

January 9, 2018

Technicians are putting the final touches on a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket set for liftoff Thursday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, a military base on California’s Central Coast, with a top secret spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.