US launches spy satellite into orbit after months of delays

An American spy satellite has been launched into orbit Dec. 10 on top of a massive Delta IV Heavy rocket following months of delays. The rocket launched at Cape Canaveral in Florida is believed to carry the new NROL-44 classified satellite at the behest of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). This new craft appears to be the latest addition to a network of satellites circling the Earth, which the U.S. uses for a variety of espionage roles.

The successful Dec. 10 launch came after five canceled Delta IV launches in the past months, including a “hotfire abort” cancellation in August. Space launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA), who is in charge of the mission, attributed the incident to a “failure in a piece of ground support equipment.” Despite replacing the faulty part, the rocket encountered another failed launch sequence the following month: The countdown was halted seven seconds before the rocket blasted off.

Hotfire aborts happen when a rocket’s engine undergoes ignition, but the launch is aborted mere moments before lift-off.

The Delta IV Heavy rocket is the company’s most powerful rocket, but only falls second to rival SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy craft. It has only been used 11 times since its debut in 2004, mostly for classified missions. ULA has four more missions for the Delta rocket line until 2023, before it is retired and replaced with the Vulcan rocket family.

The NROL-44 satellite launched into space is believed to support other U.S. satellites currently in orbit for different espionage activities such as mapping out the Earth’s surface using optical and radar imaging, tracking and detecting ships on the open seas and intercepting radio signals and communications. The NRO uses two kinds of satellites for these tasks – Crystal optical imaging satellites and Orion large signals intelligence satellites.

As a result, the NRO prefers the Delta IV Heavy for its launch vehicle as it is perfect for discrete payloads. NRO satellites are designed to be mounted on top of a rocket while in a vertical position, and the bulky payloads are designed with the Delta IV Heavy rocket in mind. (Related: Thousands of new satellites to carpet bomb the planet with 5G radiation… and there’s nowhere you can hide.)

The Pentagon has tapped both United Launch Alliance and SpaceX for future space missions

ULA is not the only firm that has a heavy rocket for space missions. Its rival SpaceX headed by Elon Musk boasts of the Falcon Heavy craft, which has a superior lift than the Delta IV Heavy. However, ULA’s craft has a larger payload fairing designed for bulky cargo.

SpaceX has said it will offer more flexible practices such as employing new vertical integration methods and producing a larger payload fairing moving forward, which could help it win more launch contracts with the military.

In August 2020, the Department of Defense recently selected both ULA and SpaceX as launch providers for its future military and reconnaissance missions, beating out Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and established defense firm Northrop Grumman – who are also developing their own rockets. ULA received 60 percent of launch missions through 2027, while SpaceX received the remaining 40 percent of missions. (Related: NASA and U.S. Space Force sign memorandum paving the way for ramped-up space efforts.)

ULA is deeply rooted in the military-industrial complex: It was formed in 2006 to provide launch services to the U.S. government, following the federal takeover of Lockheed Martin’s Atlas V program and Boeing’s Delta II and Delta IV rockets. The Atlas V and Delta IV spacecraft were both developed under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program kicked off in the 1990s: This would eventually become the National Security Space Launch.

Boeing and Lockheed Martin were both awarded EELV contracts, but allegations of corporate espionage from Boeing emerged – triggering litigation between the two. Part of the final settlement between the two firms involved pooling their resources in ULA, a joint venture between the two firms. The company’s next-generation Vulcan rocket has prompted a rationalization of the product line, with the Delta IV and Atlas V rockets to be phased out in favor of Vulcan.

Space.news has more about next-generation rockets and spacecraft and the science behind them.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NASASpaceFlight.com

Space.com

CNBC.com

Boeing.com