When asked about what it took to proceed toward tomorrow’s launch in the era of the 2020 novel coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, Eberly shared that workplace innovation and a strong commitment to the health and safety of all personnel were the cornerstones for success. In the case of NROL-129’s Minotaur IV, the first three (of four) stages are former Peacekeeper missile system components, which would have been cast and cured in Utah between 19 the fourth stage is powered by an Orion 38 (38-inch diameter) motor. The Minotaur family of rockets make use of surplus rocket motors which were retired from prior military programs as a result of various treaties and changes in the defense landscape. The NROL-129 Minotaur is also the first 100% NRO-dedicated mission to fly from Wallops Island, following a mixed-customer launch of Cygnus NG-12 last fall, which included the release of NRO CubeSats following launch aboard an Antares rocket.Įberly, who has been working professionally to support rocket launches since 1991, also provided some detail about the background of the vehicle which will carry tomorrow’s payload to orbit – the venerable Minotaur IV. It has several high bays, has a clean room, has fueling capability, has classified processing capabilities – has really brought a lot of new capability to the Wallops range, by collaborating with the NRO and developing this new payload processing facility.” “It’s a really great facility, right here on Wallops Island. Photo: NROĭuring an exclusive pre-launch interview with Northrop Grumman’s Kurt Eberly, Director, Small and Medium Space Launch, SpaceFlight Insider learned that tomorrow’s mission will be the first to fly after having been flowed through a brand-new payload processing facility on Wallops Island, VA. The classified payload for NROL-129 was the first mission to be flowed through the new payload processing facility at Wallops Island.

If for any reason the launch does not occur as planned on July 15, a backup window has been secured with the range for the same timings on July 16.

Even the weather appears to be supportive, with the latest forecast indicating only a 10% chance of violating acceptable launch weather constraints, with the limited concern lying with a risk of low clouds.ĭue to the secure nature of the NRO mission, payload and flight path, Northrop Grumman staff were unable to advise on the exact length of tomorrow’s launch window, but it has been confirmed to open for a launch from Wallops Island Launch Pad 0B at 9:00 am Eastern Daylight Time. Teams from Northrop Grumman, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Mid-Atlantic Spaceport (MARS) are all reporting as being poised and ready to launch the NROL-129 mission tomorrow, July 15, 2020, atop a Minotaur IV rocket. The Northrop Grumman Minotaur IV NROL-129 launch vehicle sits ready on Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, VA, July 14, 2020.

Spacex launch visibility map 2020