Monday, September 2, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 will launch the third batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities.
The launch will occur at 6:56 PM – 11:26 PM PDT. from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, California. Space Launch Complex 4E has witnessed the launch of 155 rockets, including 155 orbital launch attempts, while Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, has been the site for 767 rocket launches.
The satellite’s structure follows the NRO’s new concept of space architecture by using many smaller satellites to create constellations that will insure resistance from attacks.
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is a member of the United States Intelligence Community and an agency of the United States Department of Defense which designs, builds, launches, and operates the reconnaissance satellites of the U.S. federal government, and provides satellite intelligence to several government agencies, particularly signals intelligence (SIGINT) to the NSA, imagery intelligence (IMINT) to the NGA, and measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) to the DIA.
