The ULA Delta IV Heavy rocket made the penultimate mission in its history, sending a secret American spy satellite into orbit

United Launch Alliance (ULA) this week successfully completed the penultimate mission in the history of the Delta IV Heavy rocket. Mission NROL-68

was intended to launch an American reconnaissance satellite into orbit.

What is known

The payload was a spy satelliteUS National Intelligence Agency. ULA was unable to send the spacecraft into orbit on time due to technical problems. But with a one-day delay, the NROL-68 mission took place.

American intelligence has a largeconstellation of satellites, the technical parameters of which are classified. Our hero is no exception. Because of this, ULA broadcast the mission almost 7 minutes after launch at the request of the US National Reconnaissance Agency.

Delta IV Heavy has a height of 71.6 meters andgenerates more than 950 tons of thrust at the start. In comparison, the Space Launch System (SLS) for the Artemis lunar program has about 4,000 tons of thrust, while the SpaceX Starship will have over 7,500 tons with current-generation Raptor satellites.