8:45 pm EDT update: The launch of an Atlas V rocket with the Silent Barker mission has been postponed from Tuesday due to Tropical Storm Idalia.
Original post: The National Reconnaissance Office doesn’t typically talk about any of its missions, but in an unusual break with precedent, the button-down spy satellite agency is taking a different tack with its next launch Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The NRO has multiple satellites—officials won’t say exactly how many—mounted on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for liftoff at 8:34 am EDT (12:34 UTC) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
In geosynchronous orbit, a spacecraft completes one lap around Earth at the same rate as the planet’s rotation, giving a satellite a constant view of the same geographic region.
The US Space Force and the NRO have numerous satellites in geosynchronous orbit, and the mission poised for liftoff Tuesday will help track potential threats to those multibillion-dollar assets.
Placing the Silent Barker sensors closer to their observational targets will give the NRO and the Space Force a new set of eyes in geosynchronous orbit.
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8:45 pm EDT update: The launch of an Atlas V rocket with the Silent Barker mission has been postponed from Tuesday due to Tropical Storm Idalia.
Original post: The National Reconnaissance Office doesn’t typically talk about any of its missions, but in an unusual break with precedent, the button-down spy satellite agency is taking a different tack with its next launch Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The NRO has multiple satellites—officials won’t say exactly how many—mounted on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for liftoff at 8:34 am EDT (12:34 UTC) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
In geosynchronous orbit, a spacecraft completes one lap around Earth at the same rate as the planet’s rotation, giving a satellite a constant view of the same geographic region.
The US Space Force and the NRO have numerous satellites in geosynchronous orbit, and the mission poised for liftoff Tuesday will help track potential threats to those multibillion-dollar assets.
Placing the Silent Barker sensors closer to their observational targets will give the NRO and the Space Force a new set of eyes in geosynchronous orbit.
The original article contains 1,147 words, the summary contains 182 words. Saved 84%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!