Top Secret NRO Spy Satellite Successfully Launched on ULA’s Delta IV Heavy Second-to-Last Flight

On June 22, 2023, United Launch Alliance (ULA) launched the NROL-68 mission, the 15th flight of the Delta IV Heavy rocket, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37B. The mission was to carry a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency. The Delta IV Heavy rocket is the largest member of the Delta IV family and one of the most powerful rockets in the world. It consists of a common booster core, a cryogenic upper stage, and a 5-meter-diameter payload fairing. The rocket uses two extra CBCs as liquid rocket boosters and has a capacity to lift 13,810 kg for geostationary transfer orbit and 28,370 kg for low Earth orbit. The NRO manages the fleet of American spy satellites, whose capabilities and operations are frequently kept under wraps, so there is no information available about the satellite on NROL-68. This launch was originally scheduled for June 21 but was delayed by one day due to an issue with a ground systems pneumatic valve. This was ULA’s second-to-last flight of its Delta IV Heavy rocket, as its Vulcan Centaur rocket will replace its Delta rocket fleet.