A third batch of NROL satellites will be launched Thursday, September 5, at 6:14 PM – 10:14 PM PDT for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities
The forecast calls for a temperature of 83°F, broken clouds, 73% cloud cover and a wind speed of 8mph.
The satellite’s structure follows the NRO’s new concept of space architecture by using many smaller satellites to create constellations that will insure resistance from attacks.
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is a member of the United States Intelligence Community and an agency of the United States Department of Defense which designs, builds, launches, and operates the reconnaissance satellites of the U.S. federal government, and provides satellite intelligence to several government agencies, particularly signals intelligence (SIGINT) to the NSA, imagery intelligence (IMINT) to the NGA, and measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) to the DIA.