On June 22 at 5:18 a.m. Eastern Time, United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched a classified spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

The launch took place from Space Launch Complex-37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, utilizing a Delta 4 Heavy rocket.

This launch marked ULA’s second attempt, as the initial schedule on June 21 had to be postponed due to an issue with a ground systems pneumatic valve, as stated by the company, Space News reports.

Approximately four minutes into the flight, the outer boosters of the three-core Delta 4 Heavy rocket separated. Two minutes later, the second stage of the rocket also separated.

Upon the NRO’s request, ULA ended the webcast of the launch after approximately seven minutes, following the jettisoning of the nose fairing.

Notably, this mission, designated as NROL-68, is the Delta 4 Heavy’s 15th launch and serves as the second-to-last mission before its anticipated retirement. The vehicle’s final mission from the West Coast occurred in 2022.

Written by staff