#nrol76

SpaceX completes first classified mission lofting NROL-76 to orbit.

Breaking a monopoly previously held by the United Launch Alliance, SpaceX successfully launched a classified national security payload into orbit Monday morning, May 1.  Launching from LC-39A at 7:15am EDT, the Falcon 9 rocket flew downrange into the rising sun to deliver its clandestine payload. Excellent weather conditions gave tracking cameras excellent visibility of the vehicle, and the rocket’s stage separation and boostback burn were seen in detail for the first time. Eight minutes after launch the rocket’s first stage landed at LZ-1, the fourth landing at Cape Canaveral and the tenth recovered booster overall. Elon Musk tweeted shortly after landing that the NROL-76 satellite was successfully launched, indicating nominal performance of the second stage.  Liftoff was originally scheduled for April 30 but a faulty Liquid Oxygen temperature sensor on the first stage forced launch controllers to delay the mission by 24 hours.

Watch a replay of the launch here or below:

Classified payload set for launch on first NRO SpaceX flight. SpaceX is making final preparations for theSunday morning liftoff of the NROL-76 satellite, the first time the private space company will launch a national security mission. Little information is known about the payload given the classified nature of the NRO’s activities in Earth orbit. Liftoff is scheduled between 7 and 9 am EDT from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. Eight minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s first stage will land at LZ-1 at Cape Canaveral. A static fire of the Falcon 9′s first stage engines occurred on Tuesday afternoon, April 25. The secretive payload, already encapsulated within the rocket’s payload fairing, was moved from its secured processing facility on Cape Canaveral to the Horizontal Integration Facility at LC-39A early Friday afternoon, April 28. SpaceX will host a webcast of the launch beginning 20 minutes before T-0. However, due to the classified nature of the payload, the webcast will end following Main Engine Cutoff and will focus solely on the first stage’s return to Earth. Below, the official SpaceX and NRO logos for the NROL-76 mission.

Faulty sensor delays first classified SpaceX launch.

A faulty Liquid Oxygen temperature sensor on the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage scrubbed today’s launch attempt of the NROL-76 satellite. The overnight launch countdown proceeded smoothly towards a 7:15am EDT liftoff, disclosed only minutes prior to launch. 

However, the launch was scrubbed at T-52 seconds due to a sensor providing data that was out of the ordinary. SpaceX immediately safed the vehicle and prepared for a 24-hour turnaround, though it is uncertain if the sensor can be replaced within that time frame. The Falcon 9 may need to return to a horizontal position atop LC-39A for the repair.  NROL-76 is the first classified mission of the Falcon 9 rocket and the first national security payload to be launched atop a commercial vehicle. While details on the satellite are nonexistent, it is speculated that the payload - known as L-76 in the NRO’s satellite catalogue - is a new optical spy satellite technology demonstrator. The next potential launch opportunity stretches from 7 to 11 am EDT Monday, May 1. In the event the launch is pushed further, the Eastern Range has wide availability for the NRO and SpaceX to choose from.

Taking yet another stunning image of a rocket on its launch pad, the Deimos-2 satellite flew over Kennedy Space Center April 29 and captured the NROL-76 Falcon 9 atop LC-39A. The Earth imaging satellite also captured the SES-9 Falcon 9 in February 2016 on SLC-40 and its accompanying droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. With a new fleet of commercial Earth Observation satellites in orbit, photography of launch sites has increased in recent years. WorldView-2 saw its companion satellite, WorldView-4, launch into space mid-flight last November, and Deimos-2 saw the CRS-10 Falcon 9 atop LC-39A in February.

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