NROL-129

Mission

NROL-129

Type: Government/Top Secret

Classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

Location

Launch Area 0 B

Wallops Island, Virginia, USA

20 launches have been at this location.

Rocket

Minotaur IV

Length: 23.9 meters
Diameter: 2.35 meters
First Launched: January 13, 2021

The Minotaur IV launch system is derived from the Peacekeeper ICBM. The first three stages are taken directly from decommissioned Peacekeeper missiles. A fourth stage, the Orion-38, is taken from the Pegasus family of air-launched rockets.

The Minotaur IV rocket has been launched a total of 3 times with 3 successful and 0 failed launches.

Agency

Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems

Type: Commercial
Abbreviation: NGIS
Administration: CEO: Wesley G. Bush
Founded: 2015
Launchers: Antares | Minotaur | Pegasus
Spacecraft: Cygnus
Country: USA

Northrup Grumman Innovation Systems designs, builds and delivers space, defence and aviation-related systems to customers around the world. They aquired Orbital ATK in 2018 along with its launchers and ongoing missions. Antares launches from Wallops in Virginia. Minotaur has many launch sites, with the most active now being Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg. Pegasus is an air launched vehicle from an aircraft and so has many launch locations.