Spy Satellite Set for Launch

A highly classified spy satellite, developed and managed by the National Reconnaissance Office, will settle into orbit this week after it’s launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base at around 3:30 p.m. on 3/29. It will piggyback on a Delta IV Medium Plus rocket, strapped with two extra motors to supplement the 650,000 pounds of main engine thrust. It’s the first time the Department of Defense has used such a rocket configuration.