Ars Technica reports United Launch Alliance’s last Delta IV Heavy rocket is set to lift off Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the US government’s spy satellite agency. “Weather permitting, the Delta IV Heavy will light up its three hydrogen-fueled RS-68 engines at 1:40 pm EDT (17:40 UTC) Thursday, the opening of a four-hour launch window.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Tag: NRO
Silent Barker Spacecraft Expected to Begin Operation in 2025
Aviation Week reports, “The first spacecraft from a joint U.S. Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) program to conduct space situational awareness are close to entering operation next year. The Silent Barker spacecraft were launched Sept. 10, 2023, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Since then, the satellites have been undergoing the test-and-checkout phase, which is nearing completion, U.S. Space Command chief Gen. Stephen Whiting told reporters Dec. 11.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
NRO Contracts Firefly, Xtenti for Responsive Space Mission
Aviation Week reports Firefly Aerospace is “parlaying technology” developed for its “Alpha launch vehicle and Blue Ghost lunar lander with expertise acquired through its purchase of Spaceflight into a new business line focused on in-space services, with the National Reconnaissance Office.” Space News reports that on Tuesday, NRO “announced a contract with Firefly Aerospace and Xtenti for a responsive space mission.” The NRO mission is “scheduled to launch on a Firefly Alpha launch vehicle in 2024,” and will “demonstrate multiple on-orbit deployments with Firefly’s Elytra orbital vehicle and Xtenti’s Fantm-Ride small satellite dispenser.” Elytra will “deploy commercial rideshare payloads with Fantm-Ride, before performing an on-orbit maneuver.” After the maneuver, Elytra “will remain in orbit on standby, prepared to deploy U.S. government payloads on-demand.”
Full Story (Aviation Week); More Info (Space News)
SpaceX Launches NRO Spy Satellite
Space News reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 “launched a U.S. government spy satellite into orbit Feb. 2 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.” The NROL-87 payload, launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East at 3:28 p.m. Eastern, “was the National Reconnaissance Office’s first space mission of the year and the first orbital launch of 2022 from the Western Range.” The AP reports that the Falcon’s first stage “flew back to the seaside base northwest of Los Angeles and landed so that it can be reused in a future NRO mission.”
Full Story (Space News);
More Info (Associated Press)
Rocket Lab Launches NROL-162 Payload into Orbit
SPACE reports that Rocket Lab has delivered “another spacecraft to orbit for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which operates the nation’s fleet of spy satellites.” The Rocket Lab Electron booster “topped with the NROL-162 spacecraft lifted off from the company’s New Zealand site on Wednesday (July 13) at 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 GMT; 6:30 p.m. local time in New Zealand).” About an hour later, “the Electron’s ‘kick stage’ deployed NROL-162 into Earth orbit as planned, Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck confirmed via Twitter.” Rocket Lab wrote Wednesday that NROL-162 “will strengthen the NRO’s ability to provide a wide range of timely intelligence information to national decision makers and intelligence analysts to protect the United States’ vital interests and support humanitarian efforts worldwide.” NROL-162 is a “joint effort of the NRO and the Australian Department of Defence.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Video
Rocket Lab’s NROL-162 Launch, July 13, 2022
(The Launch Pad via YouTube)
2024 ASCEND to Accelerate Our Off-World Future with Axiom Space, Boeing, DARPA, Lockheed Martin, NASA, Northrop Grumman, NRO, ULA, and U.S. Space Force
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) today announced dozens of speakers who will appear at its upcoming ASCEND event, 30 July – 1 August, Caesars Forum, Las Vegas. ASCEND is the world’s premier outcomes-focused, interdisciplinary space event designed to accelerate building our off-world future.
Powered by AIAA, ASCEND serves as the nexus for addressing the most important opportunities and challenges that come with increased activity in space today. Over 200 industry luminaries from across the civil, commercial, and national security space sectors, adjacent industry representatives, and next-generation thinkers from around the world are scheduled to speak. Confirmed speakers include:
- A.C. Charania, Chief Technologist, NASA
- Carissa Christensen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, BryceTech*
- Debra Emmons, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, The Aerospace Corporation
- Barbara Golf, Strategic Advisor for Space Domain Awareness, Space Systems Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, U.S. Space Force (USSF)
- Janet Grondin, CEO, Stellar Solutions
- Matt Kozlov, Managing Director, Techstars
- Michael López-Alegría, Chief Astronaut, Axiom Space
- Sandra Magnus, TraCSS Chief Engineer, MITRE/Office of Space Commerce*
- Tom Marshburn, Chief Medical Officer, Sierra Space
- Rob Meyerson, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Interlune*
- Maj. Michael Nayak, USAF, Program Manager, DARPA
- Shawna Pandya, Director, International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS)*
- Nelson Pedreiro, Vice President, Advanced Technology Center, Lockheed Martin Space
- Mark Peller, Senior Vice President, Vulcan Development and Advanced Programs, United Launch Alliance (ULA)
- Christopher Scolese, Director, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
- Lt. Gen. John Shaw, USSF (Ret.), Former Deputy Commander, U.S. Space Command
- Lauren Smith, Senior Program Manager, Satellite Refueling, Northrop Grumman*
- Lee Steinke, Chief Operating Officer, CisLunar Industries
- Melanie Stricklan, Executive Director, Space Workforce 2030, Space Foundation
- Mandy Vaughn, CEO and Founder, GXO
- Kurt Vogel, Associate Administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA
- Kelly Weinersmith, Co-Author, A City on Mars
- Matthew Weinzierl, Senior Associate Dean and Chair, MBA Program; Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School*
- Noelle Zietsman, Vice President and Chief Engineer, Boeing Exploration Systems*
*Member of the 2024 ASCEND Guiding Coalition
Many more speakers will be announced as they are confirmed. In addition, hundreds of technical papers and collaborative sessions are scheduled, featuring expert researchers and innovators that anchor the event with the long-term thinking required to build a sustainable off-world future.
“This year, we’re co-locating ASCEND with the AIAA AVIATION Forum in one venue. These two signature AIAA events will deliver full technical programs, visionary discussions, and industry networking our community counts on. With a central Expo Hall serving as the bridge between both events’ communities, we believe attendees will be energized by this unique experience. We look forward to welcoming thousands of aerospace professionals and students from across the aerospace sector,” said AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher.
Registration for the 2024 ASCEND event is open. Early bird rates end on 10 June. Journalists from around the world are invited to cover 2024 ASCEND; press passes are available for credentialed media by request. For more information, visit ascend.events, or follow ASCEND on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.