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July 2, 2020

Minotaur Rocket Launching July 15 from NASA Wallops

A Minotaur IV rocket carrying a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is scheduled for launch July 15, 2020, from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch Enterprise Program is providing the launch services for this mission.

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A Minotaur IV rocket launches from Florida in 2017.
Credits: Northrop Grumman

The launch vehicle, built and operated by Northrop Grumman, is scheduled for liftoff from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's (MARS) Pad 0B on Wallops Island.

The launch may be visible along the U.S. east coast. In addition, the mission will be streamed live beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the Wallops YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAWallops?sub_confirmation=1).

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will not be open for this mission.

Mission information, including photos, will be available following the launch on the NRO, NASA Wallops, and Northrop Grumman websites, and their respective Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

This mission, named NROL-129, will be the first USSF mission from Wallops Flight Facility and the NRO's first dedicated launch from Wallops.

The NRO is the Intelligence Community element and a Department of Defense agency responsible for developing, acquiring, launching, and operating America's intelligence satellites to meet the national security needs of the nation.

The 78-foot tall Minotaur IV launch vehicle consists of three solid-fueled motors from decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBMs and a commercial solid rocket upper stage.

NROL-129 is the first Minotaur mission from Wallops since 2013 and the second orbital launch from the MARS launch pads in 2020. Minotaur rockets have been launched from Wallops for nearly 14 years.

Keith Koehler

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility

Last Updated: July 2, 2020
Editor: Patrick Black

ЦитироватьКосмические силы США планируют 15 июля вывести на орбиту секретный разведывательный спутник
       Вашингтон. 3 июля. ИНТЕРФАКС - Американская ракета-носитель Minotaur-4 15 июля должна стартовать на орбиту с секретным спутником в интересах Национального управления военно-космической разведки США (NRO), сообщило NASA.
       Запуск ракеты планируется осуществить с космодрома NASA Уоллопс, который размещается на одноименном острове у атлантического побережья американского штата Вирджиния.
       При этом указывается, что запуск будет первым, проводимым под управлением недавно сформированных Космических сил США с космодрома NASA Уоллопс.
       Ракета-носитель Минотавр-4 разработана корпорацией Northrop Grumman на базе выведенной из эксплуатации межконтинентальной баллистической ракеты Peacekeeper ("Пискипер"). Она способна доставлять на низкую околоземную орбиту высотой 185 км полезную нагрузку массой до 1725 кг.

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30336.png) NRO @NatReconOfc (https://twitter.com/NatReconOfc) 17 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NatReconOfc/status/1279122369680900101)

Things are moving along for #NROL129 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NROL129?src=hashtag_click)! This will be the NRO's 3rd launch of 2020 & carries four of the agency's payloads. @NASA_Wallops (https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops) @northropgrumman (https://twitter.com/northropgrumman). @VCSFA_MARS (https://twitter.com/VCSFA_MARS) @AF_SMC (https://twitter.com/AF_SMC)

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ЦитироватьTop secret NRO payload installed on Minotaur rocket for launch from Virginia
July 4, 2020 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

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The Minotaur 4's payload shroud is lifted atop the rocket at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Virginia's Eastern Shore. Credit: NRO

Crews working on Virginia's Eastern Shore this week raised a top secret payload for the National Reconnaissance Office — the U.S. government's spy satellite agency — atop a solid-fueled Minotaur 4 rocket for liftoff July 15 on the first Minotaur launch in nearly three years.

Contained inside the Minotaur's aerodynamic launch shroud, the NRO payload was craned on top of the Minotaur 4 rocket Thursday on pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. The milestone capped assembly of the 78-foot-tall (23.8-meter) Minotaur 4 launcher as teams prepare for avionics checkouts and a mission dress rehearsal.

Workers from Northrop Grumman, the Minotaur rocket's contractor, will also install ordnance and prepare the rocket for arming.

Launch of the Minotaur 4 rocket is scheduled for July 15 during a window opening at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), officials told Spaceflight Now. The exact duration of the launch window has not been released.

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility plans to provide a live video webcast of the Minotaur 4's liftoff July 15, but officials are not opening the NASA Visitor Center at Wallops for launch viewing or hosting media representatives to cover the launch in person. NASA cited the coronavirus pandemic as the reason for the closure.

Codenamed NROL-129, the mission will deliver the NRO's payload into orbit after launching on a southeasterly track from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

The Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $38 million contract to launch the NROL-129 mission, military officials confirmed in early 2019. Launch services for the NROL-129 mission were arranged through the Air Force's Orbital/Suborbital Program-3 contract.

Thursday's installation of the NROL-129 payload on top of the Minotaur 4 rocket was the final step in stacking the launch vehicle. In recent weeks, Northrop Grumman technicians built up the Minotaur 4 rocket on the launch pedestal at pad 0B.

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A Minotaur 1 rocket launch Nov. 19, 2013, was the last time a rocket lifted off from pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. Credit: NASA Wallops/Chris Perry

The launch team first stacked the three lower stages of the Minotaur 4 rocket, each coming from stockpiles left over from the Air Force's retired nuclear-tipped Peacekeeper missiles. The rocket motors were filled with pre-packed solid fuel decades ago, then placed on alert in missile silos until the military decommissioned the Peacekeeper.

The Minotaur 4's fourth stage is a Orion 38 solid rocket motor produced commercially by Northrop Grumman. The Orion 38 upper stage will inject the NROL-129 payload into its planned orbit.

The launch scheduled for July 15 will mark the first flight of a Minotaur rocket since a Minotaur 4 launch from Cape Canaveral in August 2017. Without a waiver, U.S. government policy requires the Minotaur rocket family only be used to launch military and intelligence-gathering satellites.

The policy is intended to keep government-furnished equipment, such as the retired Peacekeeper stages, from competing with privately-developed rockets in the small satellite launch market.

The Minotaur 4 rocket can carry payloads of up to 3,814 pounds (1,730 kilograms) into low Earth orbit, according to Northrop Grumman.

The last launch of a Minotaur rocket from Wallops Island was on Nov. 19, 2013, when a Minotaur 1 rocket — using Minuteman missile motors — took off with a cluster of small military research and technology demonstration satellites.

Pad 0B in Virginia has been the starting point for six Minotaur launches — five using Minotaur 1 rockets based on the Air Force's Minuteman missile, and one with the Peacekeeper-derived Minotaur 5 booster, which adds a fifth stage on top of the Minotaur 4.

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The aerodynamic launch shroud containing the NROL-129 payload was raised atop the Minotaur 4 rocket Thursday. Credit: NRO

Minotaur rocket variants using decommissioned Peacekeeper missile motors have launched seven times since 2010 from sites in Virginia, California, Alaska and Florida, all successfully. Five of those launches carried satellites into orbit, and two were experimental suborbital flights.

Launch pad 0B is situated about a quarter-mile south of the other two orbital-class launch sites at Wallops.
...

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30336.png) NRO @NatReconOfc 19 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NatReconOfc/status/1281295080838610944)

The NRO's next mission #NROL129 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NROL129?src=hashtag_click) is represented by two launch patches featuring two figures working together to defend our nation's interests and deny our adversaries sanctuary.

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19 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NatReconOfc/status/1281295084391145474)

The patches include the phrase "Our Time has Come," which symbolizes that these payloads will enable the NRO's continued support to both defense and intelligence operations in support of national security.


19 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NatReconOfc/status/1281295086156996609)

The #NROL129 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NROL129?src=hashtag_click) launch is scheduled for no earlier than July 15 from @NASA_Wallops (https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops) in Virginia.

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67594.png) Chris G - NSF @ChrisG_NSF 5 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1281712897903726594)

Take a look at #MinotaurIV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MinotaurIV?src=hashtag_click) in all its glory during Wednesday's Range Interface Test where all communication systems were checked out with the ground and @NASA_TDRS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TDRS).

Liftoff set for Wednesday, 15 July. Window opens 09:00 EDT (13:00 UTC).

Thanks to @northropgrumman (https://twitter.com/northropgrumman) for the photo.

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Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30336.png) NRO @NatReconOfc 11 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NatReconOfc/status/1281631502321823746)

Partnerships are key to the success to any launch and our partners for #NROL129 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NROL129?src=hashtag_click) are @northropgrumman (https://twitter.com/northropgrumman), @NASA_Wallops (https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops), @AF_SMC (https://twitter.com/AF_SMC) and @VCSFA_MARS (https://twitter.com/VCSFA_MARS).  We wouldn't be able to achieve our mission w/o the dedication & commitment of our space & launch partners! #teamwork (https://twitter.com/hashtag/teamwork?src=hashtag_click) #SpaceStartsHere (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceStartsHere?src=hashtag_click)

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Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67594.png) Chris G - NSF @ChrisG_NSF 39 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1281954765614841856)

Yesterday's Mission Dress Rehearsal went perfectly!  Teams are into close-outs on #MinotaurIV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MinotaurIV?src=hashtag_click).  All is on track for launch on Wednesday, 15 July in a window that opens at 09:00 EDT (13:00 UTC).

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31159.jpg) NASA Wallops @NASA_Wallops 59 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops/status/1282774550619529216)

Picture day for our Minotaur IV! The Wallops Weather Office is predicting 90 percent favorable weather for launch July 15 from Pad 0B at Wallops! Our live stream begins at 8:30 a.m. on the Wallops YouTube page and the launch window opens at 9 a.m.

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67785.jpg) SMC @AF_SMC 5 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/AF_SMC/status/1282801197955440641)

The @SpaceForceDoD (https://twitter.com/SpaceForceDoD) is ready to launch their first mission at @NASA_Wallops (https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops) Flight Facility NROL-129 on a #MinotaurIV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MinotaurIV?src=hashtag_click)!

#StayTuned (https://twitter.com/hashtag/StayTuned?src=hashtag_click) for the official launch time!

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Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30336.png) NRO @NatReconOfc 44 с. назад (https://twitter.com/NatReconOfc/status/1283009340052369409)

Check out these awesome photos of #NROL129 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NROL129?src=hashtag_click)! We're set to launch aboard a @northropgrumman (https://twitter.com/northropgrumman) #MinotaurIV (https://twitter.com/hashtag/MinotaurIV?src=hashtag_click) rocket tomorrow from @NASA_Wallops (https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops)

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Цитата: Старый от 14.07.2020 12:49:297 звёздочек слева - 7 состоявшихся полётов тяжёлого Минотавра, одна справа - нынешний полёт.
 А что это за 4 звёздочки ромбиком вверху?

Цитата: tnt22 от 14.07.2020 15:12:32Там ещё по центру ромба - пятая, незакрашенная (см крупно #8 (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/index.php?msg=2010628)). Можно предположить, что 4 - число ПН в пуске, а 5-я - ?,- вроде как сам носитель...

Цитата: Старый от 14.07.2020 15:20:16Может быть. Однако я предположил другое (см предыдущее сообщение).

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208801.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/wff-2020-039-006.jpg)

July 13, 2020

Weather Looking Good for Minotaur IV Launch July 15

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Credits: NASA/Chris Perry

The weather is looking favorable for the launch of a Minotaur IV rocket July 15 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

The T-48 hour forecast shows a 90% probability of acceptable weather for launch with the possibility of fog and cumulous clouds forming over the region.

The window opens at 9 a.m. for the Northrop Grumman rocket for the launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad 0B.

The rocket is carrying a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch Enterprise Program is providing the launch services for this mission.

The launch may be visible along the U.S. east coast. In addition, the mission will be streamed live beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the Wallops YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAWallops?sub_confirmation=1).

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will not be open for this mission.

The 78-foot tall Minotaur IV launch vehicle consists of three solid-fueled motors from decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBMs and a commercial solid rocket upper stage.

Header Image: Minotaur IV rocket on launch pad 0B at Wallops Launch Range. Credit: NASA/Chris Perry

Keith Koehler

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility

Last Updated: July 13, 2020
Editor: Patrick Black

Цитата: tnt22 от 14.07.2020 16:24:03NRO пока молчит, мож кто из флоридских чего разнюхает - выложит...

Цитата: Старый от 14.07.2020 16:45:13НРО никогда не комментирует эмблем

Цитировать NRO's continued support to both defense and intelligence operations 

Цитата: undefinedJuly 14, 2020

It's A Go for July 15 Minotaur IV Launch from Wallops

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208074.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/slide1_5.jpg)
Credits: NASA

It's a go for launch of a Northrop Grumman Minotaur IV rocket July 15 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

The rocket is carrying a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch Enterprise Program is providing the launch services for this mission.

The weather continues to look favorable for the launch. The T-24 hour forecast shows a 90% probability of acceptable weather for launch with the possibility of fog and cumulous clouds forming over the region.

The window opens at 9 a.m. for the Northrop Grumman rocket for the launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad 0B.

The launch may be visible along the U.S. east coast. In addition, the mission will be streamed live beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the Wallops YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAWallops).

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will not be open for this mission.

The 78-foot tall Minotaur IV launch vehicle consists of three solid-fueled motors from decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBMs and a commercial solid rocket upper stage.

Keith Koehler

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility

Last Updated: July 14, 2020
Editor: Patrick Black

ЦитироватьMinotaur rocket ready to launch four payloads for U.S. spy satellite agency
July 14, 2020 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

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Four NRO payloads are enclosed inside the Minotaur 4 rocket's payload fairing for launch Wednesday from Wallops Island, Virginia. Credit: NRO/Northrop Grumman

Four clandestine payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office are awaiting liftoff Wednesday from Wallops Island, Virginia, on a Minotaur 4 rocket powered by Cold War-era missile stages stored for more than 30 years until their conversion into a satellite launcher.

The solid-fueled Minotaur 4 launcher is scheduled for liftoff from Virginia's Eastern Shore during a launch window opening at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) Wednesday. The 78-foot-tall (23.8-meter) rocket is expected to fly toward the southeast from the Virginia coast to place the NRO's four payloads into low Earth orbit hundreds of miles above the planet, but the mission's exact orbital parameters are classified.

The four payloads were designed, built and operated by the NRO, officials said, but NRO has not released details about the satellites. The NRO owns the U.S. government's fleet of optical and radar surveillance satellites that feed information to U.S. intelligence agencies.

The mission Wednesday, designated NROL-129, "supports NRO's overall national security mission to provide intelligence data to United States' senior policy makers, the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense," the NRO wrote in a press kit for the launch.

"The team is really excited and ready to get going here on this mission," said Kurt Eberly, who oversees launch programs at Northrop Grumman, the prime contractor for the Minotaur program.

The Minotaur rocket family uses retired Minuteman and Peacekeeper missile motors originally built to launch nuclear weapons to targets around the world. The Department of Defense now uses the decommissioned missile parts for satellite launches, and engineers have added upper stages to do the additional work of accelerating payloads to the speeds required to enter orbit.

"We have successfully launched 26 Minotaur missions with our last Minotaur mission from Wallops in 2013," said Lt. Col. Ryan Rose, chief of the small launch and targets division at the Space Force's Space and Missile Systems Center, which procures Minotaur launch services and oversees launch operations for the NRO. "This will be our first U.S. Space Force mission and the first dedicated NRO mission from Wallops. We look forward to continuing to launch national priority satellites for our NRO partner."

Of the 26 Minotaur launches since the rocket family's debut in 2000, 16 have delivered satellites into orbit from launch pads at Wallops Island, Virginia, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and Kodiak Island, Alaska. The other Minotaur flights launched on suborbital trajectories.

The Minotaur program boasts a 100 percent mission success record to date.

"We're really focused on making this the tried-and-true small-to-medium launch vehicle for the Air Force, and when they really need to launch when they want it, and it needs to be reliable, then we want to be that provider for the NRO and other DOD agencies," Eberly said in an interview with Spaceflight Now.

"I think what we offer is the ability to get to every orbit that they need from a variety of launch ranges," Eberly said. "We've launched from Vandenberg, Cape Canaveral, here at Wallops. This will be the seventh out of Wallops. We've launched from Kodiak as well. So that just gives us the ability to fit different missions that the NRO and other DOD customers want to execute to different orbits.

"Different payloads need different processing facilities, and different availability from different ranges," Eberly said. "So the ability to launch off of austere launch pads with these all-solid vehicles, it doesn't take much. It's really just a launch stool, and then a protected vault for our electrical ground support equipment. I think that's pretty attractive to the Air Force."

The government is paying Northrop Grumman $38 million for the NROL-129 launch. The launch contract for the NROL-129 mission was awarded to Northrop Grumman in 2017 through the military's Orbital/Suborbital Program-3 procurement vehicle.

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The 78-foot-tall (23.8-meter) Minotaur rocket stands on pad 0B at Wallops Island, Virginia. Credit: NASA/Chris Perry

Northrop Grumman crews finished stacking the Minotaur 4 rocket July 2, when they craned the NROL-129 payloads on top of the launcher at pad 0B, which is part of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport run by the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority.

Located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, the spaceport has three launch pads for orbital-class rockets — one used by the Minotaur family, one for Northrop Grumman's larger Antares rocket used for resupply missions to the International Space Station, and a new launch complex designed for Rocket Lab's Electron booster.

The NRO and Northrop Grumman have not disclosed the duration of the launch window Wednesday. There's a 90 percent chance of favorable weather for launch Wednesday, according to forecasters at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

The launch team first stacked the three lower stages of the Minotaur 4 rocket, each coming from stockpiles left over from the Air Force's retired nuclear-tipped Peacekeeper missiles. On Friday, officials completed a mission dress rehearsal to practice countdown procedures, and officials convened a launch readiness review Monday to give approval for teams to continue with launch preparations.

The Peacekeeper rocket motors awaiting launch Wednesday were filled with pre-packed solid fuel between 1988 and 1990, then placed on alert in missile silos for 15 years until the military decommissioned the Peacekeeper in 2005, according to Col. Robert Bongiovi, director of the launch enterprise division at the Space and Missile Systems Center.

The Space Force maintains an "active aging surveillance program" to ensure decommissioned Peacekeeper and Minuteman missile motors can be made flightworthy in a short time when needed for a satellite launch. The missile motors are stored at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and refurbished there before shipping out for launch preparations.

Eberly said the three Peacekeeper motors and the Minotaur 4's fourth stage — an Orion 38 solid rocket motor produced commercially by Northrop Grumman — were shipped to Vandenberg for outfitting before they were transported to Wallops for stacking on pad 0B.

Ground teams at Wallops took precautions to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, Eberly said.

"Our workforce takes this seriously," Eberly said. "They're exercising a lot of personal responsibility in their personal time to make sure that they stay safe, follow the guidelines, and stay out of risky situations. So far, knock on wood, we've been able to proceed and stay on schedule."

The coronavirus pandemic caused Northrop Grumman to re-plan some operations associated with the NROL-129 mission.

"A lot of us engineers and management types can be teleworking from home, but the folks that are turning wrenches and running the system testing, and so on, need to be here (at Wallops), and they need to be touching the hardware, and in some instances they need to be in close proximity to each other," Eberly said.

During some operations, such as installing ordnance on the rocket, procedures require two or more people within six feet of each other. In those cases, Northrop Grumman ensured the workers wore personal protective equipment, Eberly said.

"We've also done some other things like spaced-out operations, and done some remote monitoring, where otherwise we'd have people there in person," he said. "It does cause us to have to plan things out further in advance, but hats off to our workforce. We've been able to stay on schedule for this launch and a couple other important launches that we're working."

Managers decided not to send as big of a crew to Wallops as would have been deployed to the launch site during normal times. Some of the Minotaur program's engineers will remain at the company's launch vehicle division headquarters in Chandler, Arizona, where Northrop Grumman set up a facility for the engineering support team to monitor the countdown and launch in real-time.

"So our engineers, a bunch are staying back there to be monitoring telemetry remotely and able to advise the folks who are in the control rooms here on the base," Eberly said. "And then we spread out the team here. We used to be in one control room, kind of elbow-to-elbow, and now we're using an additional control room where basically every other console is occupied, so we're able to be spaced out quite a bit."

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The launch patch for the NROL-129 mission. Credit: NRO/Northrop Grumman

The launch Wednesday will mark the first flight of a Minotaur rocket since a Minotaur 4 launch from Cape Canaveral in August 2017. Without a waiver, U.S. government policy requires the Minotaur rocket family only be used to launch military and intelligence-gathering satellites.

The policy is intended to keep government-furnished equipment, such as the retired Peacekeeper stages, from competing with privately-developed rockets in the small satellite launch market.

The Minotaur 4 rocket can carry payloads of up to 3,814 pounds (1,730 kilograms) into low Earth orbit, according to Northrop Grumman.

The last launch of a Minotaur rocket from Wallops Island was on Nov. 19, 2013, when a Minotaur 1 rocket — using Minuteman missile motors — took off with a cluster of small military research and technology demonstration satellites.

Pad 0B in Virginia has been the starting point for six Minotaur launches — five using Minotaur 1 rockets based on the Air Force's Minuteman missile, and one with the Peacekeeper-derived Minotaur 5 booster, which adds a fifth stage on top of the Minotaur 4.

The Minotaur 4 and 5 rockets can carry heavier payloads than the commercial small satellite launchers developed by Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit, Firefly Aerospace, Relativity Space, and numerous other firms fueled by venture capital financing.

Despite the Minotaur rocket's low flight rate, Eberly said he thinks the program "fills a niche that is not really addressed very much for U.S. launchers."

"Maybe (Europe's) Vega is something similar in the international market, but the ability to launch two metric tons to low Earth orbit isn't well-served, and I think a lot of space vehicles, and the kinds of new space vehicles that the NRO and others are producing, they just can't always be served by the by the really small end of launch market," Eberly said.

"So that's where we can come in and offer a very dependable ride on a schedule, wherever they need us, and fill that bigger niche for payloads that just aren't going to fit on a smaller vehicle, and they may not want to be on a rideshare, where you're not able to drive the schedule, or if it's a classified payload, you don't want to be in a rideshare on a bigger vehicle," he said.

"That's where I think the dedicated launch aspect is very attracted to the NRO, where they can get just what they want. They can tailor the mission just the way they want, and then we can provide that service to them."

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67785.jpg) SMC @AF_SMC 11 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/AF_SMC/status/1283113399098867712)

Who're getting excited? The NROL-129 mission is scheduled to #launch (https://twitter.com/hashtag/launch?src=hashtag_click) tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. PST from @NASA_Wallops (https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops)
#SpaceStartsHere (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceStartsHere?src=hashtag_click) #LAAFB (https://twitter.com/hashtag/LAAFB?src=hashtag_click) #KAFB (https://twitter.com/hashtag/KAFB?src=hashtag_click)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50729.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50730.jpg)

ЦитироватьКосмические силы США в среду планируют вывести на орбиту четыре секретных разведывательных спутника
15.07.2020 0:00:06
       Вашингтон. 15 июля. ИНТЕРФАКС - Ракета-носитель Minotaur-4 в среду должна стартовать на орбиту с четырьмя секретными спутниками в интересах Национального управления военно-космической разведки США (NRO), сообщили в NASA.
       Запуск ракеты планируется осуществить с космодрома NASA Уоллопс, который размещается на одноименном острове у атлантического побережья американского штата Вирджиния, во временное окно, которое открывается в 09:00 по времени Восточного побережья США (16:00 мск).
      "Запуск миссии NROL-129 предназначен для выполнения задач Национального управления военно-космической разведки по предоставлению разведывательных данных высокопоставленным политикам США, разведывательному сообществу и министерству обороны", - говорится в сообщении управления.
       О целях, орбите, размере и других характеристиках секретных американских спутников в рамках миссии NROL-129 не сообщается.
       Запуск будет первым, проводимым под управлением недавно сформированных Космических сил США с космодрома NASA Уоллопс.
       По сообщению NASA, погодные условия в районе космодрома на 90% благоприятствуют осуществлению запуска.
       Четырехступенчатая ракета-носитель Minotaur-4 разработана корпорацией Northrop Grumman на базе выведенной из эксплуатации межконтинентальной баллистической ракеты Peacekeeper ("Пискипер"). Она способна доставлять на низкую околоземную орбиту высотой 185 км полезную нагрузку массой до 1725 кг.

Цитата: undefinedWeather and Minotaur IV rocket are "Go" for July 15 morning launch of NROL-129 mission

By SMC Public Affairs, Space and Missile Systems Center / Published July 14, 2020

NASA WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, Va. --
The upcoming National Reconnaissance Office Launch (NROL)-129 mission is scheduled to lift off at 9 a.m. EST (6 a.m. Pacific) July 15 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad 0B at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.  Latest weather briefings issued today from Wallops Island is "looking good," with only a 10 percent Probability of Violation, or 90 percent favorable conditions, with light and variable ground and upper winds, and a potential for some clouds.

A "Consent to Launch" decision was issued today by the NRO, partnered with the U.S. Space Force and the Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch Enterprise Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico which prepared the NROL-129 mission. Lt. Col. Ryan Rose, chief of SMC's Launch Enterprise Small Launch and Targets Division, provided SMC's "Readiness and Go for Launch" status for tomorrow's mission.

Live streaming video of Wednesday's scheduled launch will be available to news media and the general public, starting at 8:30 a.m. EST (5:30 a.m. Pacific) via the NASA Wallops YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAWallops

The Minotaur IV launch vehicle, built by Northrop Grumman Corporation and acquired by SMC and RSLP, will launch the NROL-129 mission. Northrop Grumman was contracted by SMC to provide the launch vehicle design, integration, and interface to the space vehicle, vehicle mating, mission planning and launch of the Minotaur IV.

"We pride ourselves on being able to meet all the launch service needs of the national defense satellite market," stated Col. Robert Bongiovi, director of SMC's Launch Enterprise. "This is another demonstration of the USSF's ability to safely place payloads, from the smallest scientific, experimental and operational satellites, to the most valuable payloads, into any orbit for our NRO mission partner."

The U.S. Space Force's Space and Missile Systems Center, located at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, is the center of excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. SMC's portfolio includes space launch, global positioning systems, military satellite communications, a defense meteorological satellite control network, range systems, space-based infrared systems, and space situational awareness capabilities.

###

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67522.jpg) Thomas Burghardt @TGMetsFan98 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/TGMetsFan98/status/1283230999569145857)

A rare Minotaur IV launch tomorrow morning!

Article by @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) and @josephanavin (https://twitter.com/josephanavin):
https://nasaspaceflight.com/2020/07/nrol-129-launch-from-mars/... (https://t.co/CkwZwTAPX5?amp=1)

NASA Webcast: http://youtube.com/nasawallops (https://t.co/gXxrJDxVe5?amp=1)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/50731.png)

Цитата: тавот от 15.07.2020 11:05:18Никаких трансляций не планируется?

Цитировать07/15/2020 11:32 Stephen Clark

The five-hour Minotaur countdown commenced on time at 4 a.m. EDT (0800 GMT), and clocks are currently set to tick down to a launch time of 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).

The early steps in the countdown involve powering up the Minotaur 4 rocket and verifying data and telemetry links. Teams will also verify the range at Wallops and downrange telemetry stations in North Carolina, Bermuda and Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean are ready to support today's mission.

Цитировать07/15/2020 11:48 Stephen Clark

The 127-foot-tall mobile gantry is being retracted away from the Minotaur 4 rocket on the launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia. The structure is moved back from the launch pad using a truck similar to an airplane pushback tractor.

Цитировать07/15/2020 11:53 Stephen Clark

T-minus 4 hours, 7 minutes. The Northrop Grumman launch team is now powering up the Minotaur 4 rocket on pad 0B at Wallops to begin going through the pre-launch test checklist.

Цитировать07/15/2020 11:54 Stephen Clark

The crew at the pad 0B reports the 127-foot-tall mobile gantry has been retracted, revealing the 78-foot-tall Minotaur 4 rocket for liftoff.


07/15/2020 12:17 Stephen Clark


Check out photos (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/14/photos-minotaur-4-rocket-ready-for-launch-from-virginia/) of the Minotaur 4 rocket on the launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. These photos were taken over the past few days as teams prepared the Minotaur 4 for liftoff.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31176.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2566257991126114338/20200715091728_780414.jpeg)

Цитировать07/15/2020 12:19 Stephen Clark

The launch team is now powering up the rocket's flight termination system, which would be used to destroy the launch vehicle if it flew off course. This will allow engineers to test the flight termination system's readiness for flight.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67530.jpg) Spaceflight Now @SpaceflightNow 51 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1283319175138750464)

The countdown for today's Minotaur 4 launch from Wallops Island, Virginia, started on time. Early steps in the countdown involve verifying range & tracking station assets are ready for launch.

Liftoff with four NRO payloads is set for 9am EDT (1300 GMT). https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/14/minotaur-4-nrol-129-mission-status-center/... (https://t.co/MPhA32dqJ2?amp=1)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/176138.jpg)

Цитировать07/15/2020 12:26 Stephen Clark

Preliminary checks of the Minotaur 4's flight termination system are complete as the launch countdown continues toward liftoff at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).

Цитировать07/15/2020 12:30 Stephen Clark

T-minus 3 hours, 30 minutes. After completing the pre-flight vehicle test checklist, Minotaur and ground support equipment have been powered down.

During the last couple of hours, the team retracted the launch pad gantry, established radio connections with the Minotaur launcher, and checked the rocket's flight termination system.

Цитировать07/15/2020 13:35 Stephen Clark

The launch team just received a weather briefing, and all parameters are currently "go" for launch and expected to remain so for the duration of the countdown. There is a greater than 95 percent probability of acceptable weather on Virginia's Eastern Shore at the opening of today's launch window at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).

Цитировать07/15/2020 14:01 Stephen Clark

T-minus 2 hours and counting. The countdown continues proceeding toward launch of the Minotaur 4 rocket with the NROL-129 mission at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), the opening of today's launch window.
There are currently no technical problems reported in the countdown.

Цитировать07/15/2020 14:13 Stephen Clark

With final arming of the Minotaur 4 rocket complete, the pad team is now evacuating to a safe fallback area.

Цитата: undefined7/15/2020 14:54 Stephen Clark

After liftoff, the Minotaur 4 rocket will head southeast from Wallops Island, Virginia, on a track over the Atlantic Ocean.

Downrange tracking stations at Coquina, North Carolina, in Bermuda, and on Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean will receive signals from the rocket during its climb into orbit, along
with communications through NASA's TDRS satellite network.

The first stage's decommissioned Peacekeeper SR118 solid rocket motor will ignite as the countdown reaches zero to begin the Minotaur 4 rocket's mission. Pitch and roll commands two seconds later will put the rocket on the proper trajectory toward the southeast.
Here's an overview of the initial phase of the launch sequence:

T+00:00 — Liftoff

T+00:36 — Max-Q: Aerodynamic pressure on the vehicle reaches its peak as the Minotaur 4 accelerates through the lower atmosphere.

T+00:56 — Stage 1 Separation/Stage 2 Ignition: At an altitude of around 16 miles, the rocket's solid-fueled first stage exhausts its supply of propellant and is jettisoned. The second stage's SR119 motor ignites to continue the flight toward space.

T+01:54 — Stage 2 Burnout/Stage 3 ignition: The second stage SR119 motor, built by Aerojet Rocketdyne, burns out and separates at an altitude of around 58 miles. The SR120 third stage motor then ignites for a 72-second burn.

The live video stream of the launch provided by NASA is expected to end shortly after burnout and separation of the Minotaur 4's second stage, and the remainder of the mission will occur in a news blackout at the request of the National Reconnaissance Office, which owns the four payloads on the rocket.

The remaining launch events after second stage separation include the burn of the Minotaur's third stage, jettison of the rocket's clamshell-like payload fairing, and a burn by the rocket's Orion 38 fourth stage motor to place the four NRO payloads into orbit.

Цитировать07/15/2020 15:02 Stephen Clark

T-minus 58 minutes. The launch team is powering up systems on the Minotaur 5 launcher for final testing and launch.

Цитировать07/15/2020 15:13 Stephen Clark

The launch team continues working through the final launch checklist. No issues are being worked by the ground, launch vehicle and spacecraft teams.

Цитировать07/15/2020 15:13 Stephen Clark

The Minotaur 4's S-band telemetry transmitters have been powered off after teams verified a good data link.

Цитировать07/15/2020 15:15 Stephen Clark

The Minotaur's inertial navigation system is being configured in preparation for launch.

Цитировать07/15/2020 15:22 Stephen Clark

Engineers report the booster's navigation system is properly aligned for flight.

Цитировать07/15/2020 15:28 Stephen Clark

Here are the National Reconnaissance Office's two mission patches for the NROL-129 mission, which will deliver four payloads to orbit for the U.S. government's spy satellite agency.

The patches feature "two warrior figures working together to defend our nation's interests and deny our enemies sanctuary," the NRO said in a description of the patches. "The patches include the phrase 'Our Time has Come,' which symbolizes that these payloads will enable the NRO's continued support to both defense and intelligence operations in support of national security."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31187.jpg) (https://photo.24liveblog.com/2566257991126114338/20200715122824_950811.jpeg)

Цитировать

youtu.be/KUUc6rYpm4U

Цитировать07/15/2020 15:37 Stephen Clark

The NASA-operated range at Wallops is monitoring some boats in restricted waters downrange from the launch site. It's not clear at this time if this might impact today's launch.

Цитата: undefined07/15/2020 15:41 Stephen Clark

T-minus 20 minutes and counting. Today's flight is the seventh Minotaur 4 mission, and the 27th Minotaur family launch since 2000. It marks the seventh Minotaur launch from Wallops Island, Va.

The Minotaur 4 is based on retired Peacekeeper missile motors. A smaller Minotaur 1 rocket uses Minuteman stages.

After launch, the Minotaur rocket will fly downrange southeast from the launch site. Ground stations near the Wallops launch pad, in Coquina, North Carolina, in Bermuda, and on Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean will track the flight's initial milestones.

NASA's network of tracking satellites also monitor the progress of the flight.

Цитировать07/15/2020 15:45 Stephen Clark

The countdown has paused to allow time for the NASA-operated range at Wallops to clear boats from offshore waters. This means launch will not occur at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT). Officials haven't disclosed the length of today's launch window.

Цитировать07/15/2020 15:46 Stephen Clark

A few minutes ago, officials confirmed upper level winds are favorable for launch today.

Цитировать07/15/2020 16:29 Stephen Clark

New launch time! Northrop Grumman's Minotaur 4 launch team is now targeting a liftoff time of 9:46 a.m. EDT (1346 GMT) from Wallops Island, Virginia.

Цитировать07/15/2020 16:30 Stephen Clark

T-minus 16 minutes and counting.

Цитировать07/15/2020 16:34 Stephen Clark

T-minus 12 minutes and counting. The exact launch time of 9:46:00 a.m. EDT (1346:00 GMT) is being programmed into the Minotaur 4 flight computer.

Цитировать07/15/2020 16:36 Stephen Clark

T-minus 9 minutes, 30 seconds. The launch vehicle's flight termination system has been switched to internal power and the external power source has been turned off.

Цитировать07/15/2020 16:38 Stephen Clark

T-minus 8 minutes and counting. The destruct system has been verified armed for liftoff.

Цитировать07/15/2020 16:42 Stephen Clark

T-minus 4 minutes and counting. The rocket's guidance system has been switched to navigation mode and the flight computer is armed for flight.

Цитировать07/15/2020 16:44 Stephen Clark

T-minus 2 minutes and counting. The countdown automatic sequence has started and final limit checks are go.
The safe-and-arm devices are being rotated to the arm position.

Цитата: Старый от 15.07.2020 16:49:46Когда первая ступень отвалилась я уж думал что Бымсь.

ЦитироватьMinotaur IV launches NROL-129

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220391.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/SciNewsRo) SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)

15 июл. 2020 г.

ЦитироватьNASAWallops Live Stream

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220433.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAWallops) NASAWallops (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiCvistzsGjOSixCrbba6jw)

Трансляция началась 108 минут назад

Цитировать16:57, 15 июля 2020
США запустили ракету с четырьмя секретными разведывательными спутниками

Москва. 15 июля. INTERFAX.RU - Ракета-носитель Minotaur-4 в среду стартовала на орбиту с четырьмя секретными спутниками в интересах Национального управления военно-космической разведки США (NRO), сообщили в NASA.

Запуск ракеты был осуществлен Космическими силами вооруженных сил Соединенных Штатов с космодрома NASA Уоллопс, который размещается на одноименном острове у атлантического побережья американского штата Вирджиния, в 09:46 по времени Восточного побережья США (16:46 по Москве).

"Запуск миссии NROL-129 предназначен для выполнения задач Национального управления военно-космической разведки по предоставлению разведывательных данных высокопоставленным политикам США, разведывательному сообществу и министерству обороны", - говорится в сообщении управления.

О целях, орбите, размере и других характеристиках секретных американских спутников в рамках миссии NROL-129 не сообщается. Запуск будет первым, проводимым под управлением сформированных в 2019 году Космических сил США с космодрома Уоллопс.

Четырехступенчатая ракета-носитель Minotaur-4 разработана корпорацией Northrop Grumman на базе выведенной из эксплуатации межконтинентальной баллистической ракеты Peacekeeper ("Пискипер"). Она способна доставлять на низкую околоземную орбиту высотой 185 км полезную нагрузку массой до 1725 кг.

ЦитироватьСША запустили ракету-носитель Minotaur-4 с разведывательными спутниками
17:08 15.07.2020

ВАШИНГТОН, 15 июл – РИА Новости. Ракета-носитель Minotaur-4 стартовала с космодрома Валлопс в Виргинии с четырьмя разведспутниками впервые с 2017 года, прямую трансляцию вел портал Space Flight Now (https://spaceflightnow.com/).

Ракета стартовала в 9.46 по времени Восточного побережья США (16.46 мск). Она выводит на орбиту четыре спутника для Национального управления военно-косимческой разведки США. В связи с секретностью миссии, прямая трансляция завершилась через две минуты после старта. Параметры орбиты, на которую будут выведены аппараты, а также их модификации, также не раскрываются.

Как сообщило разведуправление в связи с предстоящим запуском, миссия "поддержит национальную безопасность, поскольку будет обеспечивать разведданными политических лидеров США, разведсообщество и министерство обороны".

Твердотопливная ракета Minotaur используется министерством обороны для вывода на орбиту военных и разведывательных аппаратов. Ракета-носитель создана на основе межконтинентальных баллистических ракет Minuteman ("Минитмэн") и Peacekeeper ("Пискипер"). Предыдущий старт РН Minotaur состоялся с мыса Канаверал в августе 2017 года.

ЦитироватьNROL-129 Mission Success–A message from NRO Director Dr. Chris Scolese

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220399.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHTyYHmPK8sM0ep89cMtSiw) National Reconnaissance Office (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHTyYHmPK8sM0ep89cMtSiw)

15 июл. 2020 г.

NRO Director Dr. Chris Scolese shares a congratulatory message after the successful launch of the agency's NROL-129 mission from NASA Wallops Flight Facility July 2020.

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30336.png) NRO @NatReconOfc 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NatReconOfc/status/1283410364957417473)

Congratulations to the entire team on the successful launch of #NROL129 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NROL129?src=hashtag_click) – the NRO's 1st dedicated launch from the Virginia Space Coast!
@NASA_Wallops (https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops) @AF_SMC (https://twitter.com/AF_SMC) @northropgrumman (https://twitter.com/northropgrumman) @VCSFA_MARS (https://twitter.com/VCSFA_MARS)

Цитировать07/15/2020 17:42 Stephen Clark

The National Reconnaissance Office has confirmed today's launch was a success.

"I could not be prouder to witness NRO's first dedicated launch out of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia," said Chris Scolese, director of the NRO. "NROL-129 represents a collaboration between the NRO and our industry partners to design, build, launch, and operate a system of satellites that will demonstrate revolutionary capabilities of value to the nation and our allies.

"Despite facing challenges in 2020, we found new and better ways to collaborate with our partners from a distance, relentlessly pursuing our mission and denying sanctuary to our adversaries," he said.

"I'm excited to add this new chapter to the NRO's long history of developing, launching and operating sophisticated overhead intelligence systems in support of our nation's security, and I look forward to a future with more opportunities for collaboration on the Virginia Space Coast."

Цитата: undefined(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208802.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/wff-2020-039-023.jpg)

July 15, 2020

Minotaur IV Launches from Wallops

The rocket carried four classified payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch Enterprise Program provided the launch services for this mission. The launch vehicle was built and operated by Northrop Grumman.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31191.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/wff-2020-039-026.jpg)
Credits: NASA/Terry Zaperach

This mission, named NROL-129, Is the first USSF mission from Wallops Flight Facility and the NRO's first dedicated launch from Wallops.

"NROL-129 represents a collaboration between the NRO and our industry partners to design, build, launch and operate a system of satellites that will demonstrate revolutionary capabilities of value to the nation and our allies," said Dr. Chris Scolese, the agency's director. "Despite facing challenges in 2020, we have found new and better ways to collaborate with our partners from a distance, relentlessly pursuing our mission and denying sanctuary to our adversaries. I want to thank all of those involved across NASA, Northrop Grumman, Virginia Space, the Space and Missile Systems Center, and of course, the NRO for pulling together to make this launch a success."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31192.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/wff-2020-039-030.jpg)
Credits: NASA/Terry Zaperach

Wallops director David Pierce, said, "Today's successful launch exemplifies NASA's proud service to NRO and the nation and I want to thank GSFC/WFF employees and all our partners for their hard work in a very dynamic 2020. We look forward to working with NRO, USSF, Virginia Space and Northrop Grumman on future missions from Wallops."

The NRO is the Intelligence Community element and a Department of Defense agency responsible for developing, acquiring, launching, and operating America's intelligence satellites to meet the national security needs of the nation.

The 78-foot tall Minotaur IV launch vehicle consists of three solid-fueled motors from decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBMs and a commercial solid rocket upper stage.

NROL-129 is the first Minotaur mission from Wallops since 2013 and the second orbital launch from the MARS launch pads in 2020. Minotaur rockets have been launched from Wallops for nearly 14 years.

Header Image Credit: NASA/Allison Stancil

Keith Koehler

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility

Last Updated: July 15, 2020
Editor: Patrick Black

Цитата: undefinedMinotaur IV rocket successfully launches NRO payload
By SMC Public Affairs, Space and Missile Systems Center / Published July 15, 2020

NASA WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY, Va. --
The U.S. Space Force successfully launched a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office aboard a Minotaur IV rocket at 9:46 a.m. EST (6:46 a.m. Pacific) today from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

This mission, named NROL-129, was the first USSF launch and the NRO's first dedicated launch from WFF. The launch vehicle, built and operated by Northrop Grumman Corporation, lifted off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad 0B at NASA's WFF and was visible throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

"I am thrilled with today's successful launch for our NRO mission partner, and look forward to our additional missions with Northrop Grumman," stated Lt. Col. Ryan Rose, chief of SMC Launch Enterprise's Small Launch and Targets Division. "This was the first USSF mission and the first dedicated NRO mission from WFF and we look forward to continuing to launch national priority satellites for our NRO mission partner."

"Congratulations to the entire government and industry NROL-129 team on successfully pressing forward to execute this important mission amidst this global pandemic," stated Col. Robert Bongiovi, director of SMC's Launch Enterprise.

Mission information, including photos are available on the NRO, NASA Wallops, and Northrop Grumman Corp. website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter sites.

The U.S. Space Force's Space and Missile Systems Center, located at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, is the center of excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. SMC's portfolio includes space launch, global positioning systems, military satellite communications, a defense meteorological satellite control network, range systems, space-based infrared systems, and space situational awareness capabilities.
 

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Цитата: undefinedMinotaur product line boosts flawless record to 27 missions

July 15, 2020

WALLOPS, Va. – July 15, 2020 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) successfully launched its Minotaur IV space launch vehicle and placed a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) spacecraft into orbit at 9:46 a.m. EDT on July 15. The Minotaur IV was launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0B at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31205.jpg)
Northrop Grumman successfully launched its Minotaur IV Rocket into orbit this morning, at 9:46 a.m. ET.

"This mission marks the 27th consecutive successful launch for the company's Minotaur product line which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year," said Kurt Eberly, director, launch vehicles, Northrop Grumman. "Minotaur's record of success along with its ability to responsively launch from multiple spaceports continues to be a valuable asset for our customers."

The NROL-129 launch (L-129) was the seventh Minotaur IV flight. The Minotaur IV is capable of launching payloads of up to 4,000 pounds (or 1,800 kilograms) to low earth orbit. This mission's Minotaur IV configuration included three decommissioned Peacekeeper stages and a Northrop Grumman manufactured Orion 38 solid fuel upper stage. The Minotaur rockets are manufactured at Northrop Grumman's facilities in Chandler, Arizona; Vandenberg, California; and Clearfield and Magna, Utah.

The Minotaur family of launch vehicles is based on government-furnished Peacekeeper and Minuteman rocket motors that Northrop Grumman has integrated with modern avionics and other subsystems to produce a cost-effective, responsive launcher based on flight-proven hardware. Minotaur rockets have launched from ranges in Alaska, California, Florida and Virginia.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31206.jpg)
Northrop Grumman's Minotaur IV Rocket successfully launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility this morning.

The vehicle used to launch the L-129 mission was procured under the OSP-3 contract administered by the U.S. Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch Enterprise Small Launch and Targets Division at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. Minotaur vehicles are currently available to customers under the OSP-4 contract.

Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.

Цитата: undefinedMinotaur rocket successfully deploys four NRO satellites in orbit
July 15, 2020 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31207.jpg)
A Minotaur 4 rocket fires into a mostly sunny sky Wednesday from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia. Credit: Northrop Grumman/Thom Baur

A solid-fueled Northrop Grumman Minotaur 4 rocket vaulted into orbit Wednesday from Virginia's Eastern Shore and deployed four top secret spacecraft for the U.S. government's spy satellite agency, extending the program's success record ahead of three more Minotaur missions planned in 2021.

The 78-foot-tall (23.8-meter) launcher fired away from pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia at 9:46 a.m. EDT (1346 GMT) Wednesday after a 46-minute delay to wait for fishing boats to clear a hazard area near the launch site.

Riding a half-million pounds of thrust, the Minotaur 4 darted into a mostly sunny sky at breathtaking speed and broke the sound barrier just 17 seconds after liftoff.

Three solid-fueled rocket motors stockpiled from the U.S. Air Force's retired Peacekeeper nuclear missile program powered the Minotaur 4 rocket into space. A commercial Orion 38 fourth stage motor then fired to inject the four National Reconnaissance Office payloads into orbit a few hundred miles above Earth.

A live video stream of the launch provided by NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, which oversees the launch site, ended a few minutes after liftoff of the Minotaur 4 rocket at the request of the NRO. The rest of the flight occurred in a news blackout without live updates.

The National Reconnaissance Office confirmed the launch — designated NROL-129 —  was a success later Wednesday morning.

"I could not be prouder to witness NRO's first dedicated launch out of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia," said Chris Scolese, director of the NRO. "NROL-129 represents a collaboration between the NRO and our industry partners to design, build, launch, and operate a system of satellites that will demonstrate revolutionary capabilities of value to the nation and our allies."

The NRO did not disclose details about the design or purpose of the four NROL-129 payloads. The NRO is part of the U.S. government's intelligence community, and owns a fleet of optical and radar surveillance satellites.

"Despite facing challenges in 2020, we found new and better ways to collaborate with our partners from a distance, relentlessly pursuing our mission and denying sanctuary to our adversaries," Scolese said.

"I'm excited to add this new chapter to the NRO's long history of developing, launching and operating sophisticated overhead intelligence systems in support of our nation's security, and I look forward to a future with more opportunities for collaboration on the Virginia Space Coast," he said.

The launch Wednesday marked the 27th flight of a Minotaur rocket since January 2000, and the first Minotaur satellite delivery mission in nearly three years. It was the seventh Minotaur launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, and the first Minotaur to take off from there since 2013.

"This mission marks the 27th consecutive successful launch for the company's Minotaur product line which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year," said Kurt Eberly, director of launch vehicles at Northrop Grumman, in a statement. "Minotaur's record of success along with its ability to responsively launch from multiple spaceports continues to be a valuable asset for our customers."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31208.jpg)
The launch from Virginia's Eastern Shore on Monday marked the 27th flight of Northrop Grumman's Minotaur rocket family since 2000. Credit: Northrop Grumman/Thom Baur

Despite the low launch rate, Northrop Grumman says the Minotaur rocket family is well-suited for delivering U.S. military and NRO payloads into orbit.

"We're really focused on making this the tried-and-true small-to-medium launch vehicle for the Air Force, and when they really need to launch when they want it, and it needs to be reliable, then we want to be that provider for the NRO and other DOD agencies," Eberly said in a pre-launch interview with Spaceflight Now.

"I think what we offer is the ability to get to every orbit that they need from a variety of launch ranges," Eberly said. "We've launched from Vandenberg, Cape Canaveral, here at Wallops ... We've launched from Kodiak as well. So that just gives us the ability to fit different missions that the NRO and other DOD customers want to execute to different orbits.

"Different payloads need different processing facilities, and different availability from different ranges," Eberly said. "So the ability to launch off of austere launch pads with these all-solid vehicles, it doesn't take much. It's really just a launch stool, and then a protected vault for our electrical ground support equipment. I think that's pretty attractive to the Air Force."

The government paid Northrop Grumman $38 million for the NROL-129 launch. The launch contract for the NROL-129 mission was awarded to Northrop Grumman in 2017 through the military's Orbital/Suborbital Program-3 procurement vehicle.

The Peacekeeper rocket motors used on Wednesday's launch were filled with pre-packed solid fuel between 1988 and 1990, then placed on alert in missile silos for 15 years until the military decommissioned the Peacekeeper in 2005, according to Col. Robert Bongiovi, director of the launch enterprise division at the Space and Missile Systems Center.

The Space Force maintains an "active aging surveillance program" to ensure decommissioned Peacekeeper and Minuteman missile motors can be made flightworthy in a short time when needed for a satellite launch. The missile motors are stored at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and refurbished there before shipping out for launch preparations.

Ground teams at Wallops took precautions to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, and Northrop Grumman re-planned some operations associated with the NROL-129 mission, Eberly said.

Without a waiver, U.S. government policy requires the Minotaur rocket family only be used to launch military and intelligence-gathering satellites. The policy is intended to keep government-furnished equipment, such as the retired Peacekeeper stages, from competing with privately-developed rockets in the small satellite launch market.

The Minotaur 4 rocket can carry payloads of up to 3,814 pounds (1,730 kilograms) into low Earth orbit, according to Northrop Grumman. The smaller Minotaur 1 launcher is powered by decommissioned Minuteman missile stages, and is capable of injecting a payload of up to 1,278 pounds (580 kilograms) into low Earth orbit.

There are also heavier variants, such as the Minotaur 5 and 6, designed to launch payloads into higher orbits, or deploy larger satellites.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31209.jpg)
The National Reconnaissance Office's two patches for the NROL-129 mission feature "two warrior figures working together to defend our nation's interests and deny our enemies sanctuary," the NRO said. "The patches include the phrase 'Our Time has Come,' which symbolizes that these payloads will enable the NRO's continued support to both defense and intelligence operations in support of national security." Credit: NRO

The Minotaur 4 and 5 rockets can carry heavier payloads than the commercial small satellite launchers developed by Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit, Firefly Aerospace, Relativity Space, and numerous other firms fueled by venture capital financing.

Despite the Minotaur rocket's low flight rate, Eberly said he thinks the program "fills a niche that is not really addressed very much for U.S. launchers."

"Maybe (Europe's) Vega is something similar in the international market, but the ability to launch two metric tons to low Earth orbit isn't well-served, and I think a lot of space vehicles, and the kinds of new space vehicles that the NRO and others are producing, they just can't always be served by the by the really small end of launch market," Eberly said.

"So that's where we can come in and offer a very dependable ride on a schedule, wherever they need us, and fill that bigger niche for payloads that just aren't going to fit on a smaller vehicle, and they may not want to be on a rideshare, where you're not able to drive the schedule, or if it's a classified payload, you don't want to be in a rideshare on a bigger vehicle," he said.

"That's where I think the dedicated launch aspect is very attracted to the NRO, where they can get just what they want. They can tailor the mission just the way they want, and then we can provide that service to them."

The NRO has booked two more satellite launches on Northrop Grumman Minotaur rockets.

A classified payload is scheduled to take off on a Minotaur 1 rocket in the second quarter of 2021 on the NROL-111 mission. The NRO has also purchased another Minotaur 4 rocket for the launch of the NROL-174 mission in late 2021, Eberly said.

Both of those missions will launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia, military officials said.

There's also a mission assigned to a Minotaur 2 rocket — a suborbital Minotaur configuration — scheduled to fly from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in late 2021, according to the Space and Missile Systems Center.

Цитата: Старый от 14.07.2020 16:57:57Фраза

Цитата: undefinedNRO's continued support to both defense and intelligence operations

может намекать что полезная нагрузка является продолжением некой ранее существующей программы.

Цитата: undefined

NORAD CAT ID

SATNAME

INTLDES

TYPE

COUNTRY

LAUNCH

SITE

DECAY

PERIOD

INCL

APOGEE

PERIGEE

RCS

TLE

45873 (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/satcat/NORAD_CAT_ID/45873/format/html/emptyresult/show)

USA 305

2020-046A

PAYLOAD

US

2020-07-15

WLPIS

TLE (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/tle_latest/NORAD_CAT_ID/45873/ORDINAL/1--5/orderby/ORDINAL/format/tle/emptyresult/show) | OMM (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/omm/NORAD_CAT_ID/45873/orderby/EPOCH%20desc/limit/1/format/xml/emptyresult/show)

45874 (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/satcat/NORAD_CAT_ID/45874/format/html/emptyresult/show)

USA 306

2020-046B

PAYLOAD

US

2020-07-15

WLPIS

TLE (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/tle_latest/NORAD_CAT_ID/45874/ORDINAL/1--5/orderby/ORDINAL/format/tle/emptyresult/show) | OMM (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/omm/NORAD_CAT_ID/45874/orderby/EPOCH%20desc/limit/1/format/xml/emptyresult/show)

45875 (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/satcat/NORAD_CAT_ID/45875/format/html/emptyresult/show)

USA 307

2020-046C

PAYLOAD

US

2020-07-15

WLPIS

TLE (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/tle_latest/NORAD_CAT_ID/45875/ORDINAL/1--5/orderby/ORDINAL/format/tle/emptyresult/show) | OMM (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/omm/NORAD_CAT_ID/45875/orderby/EPOCH%20desc/limit/1/format/xml/emptyresult/show)

45876 (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/satcat/NORAD_CAT_ID/45876/format/html/emptyresult/show)

USA 308

2020-046D

PAYLOAD

US

2020-07-15

WLPIS

TLE (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/tle_latest/NORAD_CAT_ID/45876/ORDINAL/1--5/orderby/ORDINAL/format/tle/emptyresult/show) | OMM (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/omm/NORAD_CAT_ID/45876/orderby/EPOCH%20desc/limit/1/format/xml/emptyresult/show)

45877 (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/satcat/NORAD_CAT_ID/45877/format/html/emptyresult/show)

MINOTAUR 4 R/B

2020-046E

ROCKET BODY

US

2020-07-15

WLPIS

TLE (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/tle_latest/NORAD_CAT_ID/45877/ORDINAL/1--5/orderby/ORDINAL/format/tle/emptyresult/show) | OMM (https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/omm/NORAD_CAT_ID/45877/orderby/EPOCH%20desc/limit/1/format/xml/emptyresult/show)

Цитата: Виктор  Воропаев от 31.07.2020 09:24:15Предположительно найден (http://satobs.org/seesat/Jul-2020/0159.html) любителями на круговой орбите высотой 577 км и наклонением 54 градуса.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67615.jpg) Dr Marco Langbroek @Marco_Langbroek 4 авг. (https://twitter.com/Marco_Langbroek/status/1290397079563579392)

Last week, amateur observers located 5 (and possibly 6) objects related to the classified #NROL (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NROL?src=hashtag_click)-129 launch from Wallops on Jul 15.
These images which I shot in twilight this evening shows two of them: objects D and E, one minute apart.
Canon EOS 80D + EF 2.5/50 mm, 500 ISO, 4 s.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/51141.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/51142.jpg)


4 авг. (https://twitter.com/Marco_Langbroek/status/1290401321305214977)

They are naked eye objects (they reach about mag +3). The C-object is a bit fainter and irregular, we think this might be the Centaur stage. They are in 54-degree inclined, 570 x 580 km orbits.
A 6th object is very faint and in a somewhat different orbit.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/51143.jpg)

Цитата: V.V. от 31.07.2020 09:24:15Предположительно найден (http://satobs.org/seesat/Jul-2020/0159.html) любителями на круговой орбите высотой 577 км и наклонением 54 градуса.