14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday night, on April 14, the night sky above California was lit up by a new rocket launch. The delivery system carried a classified spacecraft into Earth's orbit. At this point, the mission the new satellite has is unknown, but the safest bet would be to say that it's a spy vehicle.
The flight was ordered and paid for by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the US organization in charge of controlling the country's satellite fleet. The NRO is also involved in collecting intelligence from around the world via other means as well.
According to the launch manifest, the new spy satellite is called NROL-34. It took off aboard an Atlas 5 delivery system from the Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), in California. Launch occurred at 9:24 pm PDT (0424 GMT, April 15).
Though the final orbit and purpose of NROL-34 are unknown, experts with the United Launch Alliance, the company that handled the launch for the NRO, say that it will definitely be used by the country's military.
“This launch supports the military's national defense mission,” an ULA mission description says. Due to the classified nature of the flight, a media blackout entered effect some 4 minutes and 30 seconds after the Atlas 5 rocket took off.
Analysts are saying that the NRO is in the middle of planning something big. This is the sixth launch that the agency financed in 8 months. All of them took place from the VAFB, or from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), in Florida.
The effort involved saw the NRO using Minotaur, Delta and Atlas rocket to launch its satellites. “Six launches in this time is the most aggressive launch schedule for the NRO in two decades,” ULA launch commentator Don Spencer explained, quoted by Space.
According to analysts, yesterday's was the 25 Atlas 5 rocket launch since the booster entered active service 9 years ago. The delivery system has an excellent track record, which is why numerous agencies are deciding to use it increasingly often.
ULA launched its fourth rocket in just as many months this year. The company is in fact a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and the Boeing Company, two of the most important players in the spaceflight and aerospace industries.