Watch the Launch

Additional Media

404 - File or directory not found.

The resource you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

NROL-68

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Geostationary Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Geostationary Orbit Space Launch Complex 37B Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA Probability: 90% #NROL68

Classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Telemetry

Launch trajectory and telemetry simulations provided by Flight Club - a rocket launch simulator and orbital trajectory visualiser for all things space!

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • June 22, 2023, 3:47 p.m.

Launch success.


Cosmic_Penguin • June 22, 2023, 9:18 a.m.

Liftoff.


LL2 • June 22, 2023, 8:54 a.m.

Livestream has started


Cosmic_Penguin • June 22, 2023, 6:51 a.m.

Updated weather.


Cosmic_Penguin • June 22, 2023, 5:38 a.m.

New T-0.


Delta IV Heavy

Family:
Configuration: Heavy

The Delta IV Heavy (Delta 9250H) is an expendable heavy-lift launch vehicle, the largest type of the Delta IV family, and is the world's second highest-capacity rocket in operation. It is manufactured by United Launch Alliance and was first launched in 2004.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    72.0 m
  • Diameter
    5.0 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    733.0 T
  • Thrust
    8674.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Delta IV Heavy
  • Family
  • Variant
    Heavy
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Delta IV Heavy
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $350000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    28370.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    14210.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
    14500.0 kg
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance

(ULA)

CEO: Tory Bruno Founded: 2006 Successes: 164 Failures: 0 Pending: 43

Agency Type:

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. ULA launches from both coasts of the US. They launch their Atlas V vehicle from LC-41 in Cape Canaveral and LC-3E at Vandeberg. Their Delta IV launches from LC-37 at Cape Canaveral and LC-6 at Vandenberg.

INFO WIKI

Related News

Arstechnica

Rocket Report: Electron scoops up Virgin launch, ULA flies first 2023 mission

"In microlaunchers that balance is on a knife’s edge."

SpaceNews

ULA’s Delta 4 Heavy launches classified spy satellite

United Launch Alliance launched a classified National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite on a Delta 4 Heavy rocket June 22 at 5:18 a.m. Eastern from Space Launch Complex-37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

Arstechnica

After tough start this year, United Launch Alliance can turn things around tonight

"These launches place critical capabilities into orbit for our nation."

NASASpaceflight

ULA’s penultimate Delta IV Heavy launches NROL-68 mission

United Launch Alliance’s penultimate Delta IV Heavy rocket took flight on the NROL-68 mission Thursday, lofting a secretive payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. Liftoff, from Space Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral, is expect…

Teslarati

United Launch Alliance ready for penultimate Delta IV Heavy launch

United Launch Alliance is targeting the launch of the penultimate Delta IV Heavy with the secretive NROL-68 mission at 3:29 AM ET...

Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Space Launch Complex 37B


Falcon 9
In Flight
57 minutes ago
Bandwagon 2 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare)
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Dedicated rideshare flight to a mid-inclination orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers…


Long March 3
Success
21 hours, 20 minutes ago
TJSW-12
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.


Ceres-1S
Success
2 days, 2 hours ago
Tianqi 33-36
Oriental Spaceport mobile launch ship - Sea Launch

4 small satellites for LEO Internet of Things (IoT) communication purposes.


KAIROS
Failure
3 days, 10 hours ago
Flight 2
Space One Launch Pad - Spaceport Kii, Japan

Second flight of the KAIROS launch vehicle. 5 satellites for testing various technologies will be on board: * TATARA-1 * PARUS-T1A * SC-Sat1…


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 14 hours ago
O3b mPower 7 & 8
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Seventh and eighth of a constellation of eleven high-throughput communications satellites in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) built by Boeing and operated by…


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 23 hours ago
NROL-149
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Sixth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 11 hours ago
GPS III SV07 (RRT-1)
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

GPS-III (Global Positioning System) is the first evolution stage of the third generation of the GPS satellites. It consists of the first ten (known a…


Long March 2D
Success
4 days, 17 hours ago
PIESAT-2 09-12
Launch Complex 9 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

4 X-band synthetic-aperture radar Earth observation satellites for the Chinese Earth observation satellite company PIESAT.


Long March 5B/YZ-2
Success
5 days, 2 hours ago
SatNet LEO Group 01
101 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 10 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group…


Electron
Success
1 week ago
Stonehenge
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C) - Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Sub-orbital launch of the Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) program for a confidential customer.