NROL-18
Atlas IIAS
Lockheed Martin
Mission
NROL-18 (Intruder 6A & 6B)
- Type: Government/Top Secret
- Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
USA 173 is an American military satellite (operated by the National Reconnaissance Office)
Location
Space Launch Complex 3E
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Space Launch Complex 3E has witnessed the launch of 48 rockets, including 45 orbital launch attempts, while Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, has been the site for 749 rocket launches.
Rocket
Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS
Atlas II was a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas missile program of the 1950s. It was designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. Sixty-three launches of the Atlas II, IIA and IIAS models were carried out between 1991 and 2004; all sixty-three launches were successes, making the Atlas II the most reliable launch system in history.
Agency
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin’s Space Division started in the production of missiles and later ICBM’s in the 1950s. Their TITAN missile system was used for 12 Gemini spacecraft and the Voyager probes. They have worked largely in collaboration with NASA on many of their probes, landers, and spacecraft, and hope to play a key role in NASA’s return to the moon in 2024.
