NROL-174

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Unknown
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Unknown Space Launch Complex 8 Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

Updates

SwGustav • April 16, 2025, 10:24 p.m.

Launch success


SwGustav • April 16, 2025, 7:48 p.m.

Apparent liftoff


Cosmic_Penguin • April 15, 2025, 3:59 a.m.

Tweaked T-0.


Cosmic_Penguin • April 10, 2025, 6:22 a.m.

GO for launch.


Cosmic_Penguin • April 9, 2025, 5:16 p.m.

NET April 16.


Minotaur IV

Family:
Configuration:

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.

Specifications
  • Stages
    4
  • Length
    23.9 m
  • Diameter
    2.35 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    86.0 T
  • Thrust
    2200.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Minotaur IV
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
    Peacekeeper SLV
  • Full Name
    Minotaur IV
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    1735.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Orbital ATK

Orbital ATK

(OA)

President: David W. Thompson Founded: 2015 Successes: 6 Failures: 0 Pending: 0

Agency Type:

Orbital ATK Inc. was an American aerospace manufacturer and defense industry company. It was formed in 2015 from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and parts of Alliant Techsystems. Orbital ATK was purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2018.

INFO WIKI

Related News

Arstechnica

Rocket Report: Daytona rocket delayed again; Bahamas tells SpaceX to hold up

A Falcon 9 core has now launched as many times as there are Merlins on a Falcon Heavy.

The Launch Pad

Minotaur IV Rocket Launches Classified NROL-174 Payloads from Vandenberg in Return to California Skies

Minotaur IV Rocket Launches Classified NROL-174 Payloads from Vandenberg in Return to California Skies

Spaceflight Now

Northrop Grumman to launch first Minotaur 4 rocket from Vandenberg in 14 years

The last Minotaur 4 launch from Space Launch Complex 8 was on Aug. 11, 2011. It is returning to that pad nearly a decade and a half later, targeting a liftoff at 12:33 p.m. PDT (3:33 p.m. EDT, 1933 UTC).

SpaceNews

Minotaur IV rocket launches spy payloads for National Reconnaissance Office

The mission, designated NROL-174, lifted off at 3:33 p.m. Eastern from Space Launch Complex 8 (SLC-8) at Vandenberg. The post Minotaur IV rocket launches spy payloads for National Reconnaissance Office appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: Alpha ready for launch, Falcon 9 to launch cargo to ISS

This week will see the worldwide launch cadence slow, with only four launches scheduled. SpaceX’s… The post Launch Roundup: Alpha ready for launch, Falcon 9 to launch cargo to ISS appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Space Launch Complex 8


Long March 2D
Success
1 day, 6 hours ago
Zhangheng-1-02
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Zhangheng 1-02, also known as CSES-02 (China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite-02), is the follow-on mission to Zhangheng 1/CSES, a Chinese–Italian sp…


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 23 hours ago
Starlink Group 12-26
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 12 hours ago
Starlink Group 15-6
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 26 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Electron
Success
3 days, 23 hours ago
The Mountain God Guards (iQPS Launch 3)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 1 hour ago
Starlink Group 12-24
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 15-8
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 26 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Sirius SXM-10
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

SXM-10 is the 11th high-powered, digital, audio radio satellite built by Maxar (SSL) for SiriusXM. The SXM-10 satellite will be based on Maxar’s prov…


Long March 6A
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
SatNet LEO Group 04
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

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


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Starlink Group 11-22
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
Starlink Group 12-19
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.