Success
NROL-129
Government/Top Secret
Northrop Grumman Space Systems(NGSS)CommercialMinotaur IV
LEOorbit
Classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 1:46 PM
Replay
Links
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#5,974
NGSS Mission
#6
Pad Launch
#7
Location Launch
#67
Designator
2020-046
Weather GO
95%
Launch Window
NET
Jul 15, 2020, 1:46 PM
Schedule Changes
1 update
Lift Off
1:00 PM
Window Open
1:46 PM
Window Close
Minotaur IV Specs
The Minotaur IV launch system is derived from the Peacekeeper ICBM. The first three stages are taken directly from decommissioned Peacekeeper missiles. A fourth stage, the Orion-38, is taken from the Pegasus family of air-launched rockets.
Length
23.9 m
Diameter
2.35 m
Launch Mass
86 t
Thrust
2,200 kN
LEO Capacity
1,735 kg
GTO Capacity
0 kg
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
2010
Fastest Turnaround
11mo 25d
Total Launches
5
Successful
5
Failed
0
Consecutive Success
5
Maiden flight: Sep 26, 2010
Launch Area 0 B
LP-0B became operational in 1999,and was subsequently upgraded in 2003 with the construction of a mobile service tower, which was completed in 2004. It is active, and is currently used by Northrop Grumman Minotaur rockets. The first launch from LP-0B was of a Minotaur I in December 2006, and was the first launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
Total Launches
8
Orbital Attempts
8
Fastest Turnaround
2mo 13d
Northrop Grumman Space Systems
Northrup Grumman Space Systems designs, builds and delivers space, defence and aviation-related systems to customers around the world. They aquired Orbital ATK in 2018 along with its launchers and ongoing missions.
Founded
2015
Administrator
CEO: Kathy Warden
Total Launches
16
Successful
16
Failed
0
Pending
2
Consecutive Success
16
Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA
Wallops Flight Facility is a rocket launch site on Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, United States, just east of the Delmarva Peninsula and north-northeast of Norfolk. The facility is operated by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and primarily serves to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other federal agencies. WFF includes an extensively instrumented range to support launches of more than a dozen types of sounding rockets; small expendable suborbital and orbital rockets; high-altitude balloon flights carrying scientific instruments for atmospheric and astronomical research; and, using its Research Airport, flight tests of aeronautical research aircraft, including uncrewed aerial vehicles.
Timezone
America/New_York
Local Launch Time
Jul 15, 2020, 9:46 AM
Total Launches
86
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
37.9333, -75.4678