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Top secret rocket mission set for Cape Canaveral launch

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Alex Polimeni | Staff Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL – United Launch Alliance will launch the ever-dependable Atlas V rocket, a workhorse of the U.S. intelligence and defense community, just after sunset on Nov. 4.

The 5:54 p.m. launch will be lifting a clandestine mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. Designated NROL-101, no details regarding the payload’s purpose or specifications are available to the public. 

The rocket was originally prepared for an Election Day launch. This was delayed due to a faulty environmental control system duct, according to CEO Tory Bruno on Twitter. ECS ducts provide conditioned air to the launch vehicle and spacecraft while awaiting launch.

A similar Atlas V launch in July 2020. The photo shows an Atlas V rocket taking off.
A similar Atlas V launch in July 2020. Photo | Alex Polimeni

According to an NRO press kit, the agency serves as the “eyes and ears,” over the most hostile territories in the world. The existence of the agency, founded in 1961, was only publicly acknowledged in 1992. Current capabilities and operations of this covert agency remain classified. 

“ULA is proud to play a pivotal role in support of our mission partners and national security by keeping our country safe one launch at a time,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of government and commercial programs, in a ULA press release. “We thank our mission partners for their continued trust and teamwork. The NROL-101 mission will be ULA’s 29th mission launched for the National Reconnaissance Office and the 17th NRO mission launched on an Atlas V.”

This Atlas V launch is monumental in ULA’s mission to reduce the costs of launch and begin evolution to their new rocket, Vulcan-Centaur. This mission will be the first to utilize the Utah-built Northrop Grumman GEM-63 solid rocket motors, according to a ULA news release.

ULA uses strap-on solid rocket boosters to increase the Atlas V’s lifting capability. According to ULA CEO Tory Bruno on Twitter, the new boosters are “higher performance,” and “approaching half the cost.” In addition, the new solid rocket boosters are nearly identical to those that will be used on the Vulcan-Centaur rocket, ensuring a crucial system is tested before the first launch in 2021. 

The NROL-101 mission will mark the 86th launch of the Atlas V, along with the 141st launch for ULA, all with 100 percent mission success.

Launch is currently set for 5:54 p.m. EST. The Atlas V will be readily visible along most of Florida’s eastern coast, and will have a contrail from three solid rocket boosters. For Florida Tech students interested in watching the event, Holland Spessard Beach affords a decent view of the launch nearby. At any launch viewing sites, be sure to follow CDC guidelines, and social distance when possible.

Op-Ed: What really is the U.S. Space Force?

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by Alex Polimeni

Missile warning, GPS navigation, secured communications, and intelligence gathering; all of these share one commonality— they are essential to America’s national security.

The United States Space Force was formed late last year following increased hostility from other nations in space including China and Russia. 

Space has become an increasingly contested environment. The United States relies on a plethora of defense satellites, spanning through multiple orbits. Orbits thought to be safe and out of reach. However,  anti-satellite weapons have rapidly advanced, and pose an extreme danger to American assets.

According to an NPR report, countries including China, Russia, and India all have demonstrated anti-satellite capabilities through test launches.

The classified NROL-42 mission departed the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Sept. 23, 2017. Photo//Alexander Polimeni

Yet, as most Americans are not aware of these critical space-based assets, they could not even picture life without these unique capabilities. These satellites orbit overhead, in the shadow of the public eye. The satellites of the United States Space Force support every warfighting domain; including land, sea, air and space. 

Daily life is intertwined around satellites owned by the Space Force. All GPS navigation satellites are controlled by the United States Space Force. If GPS satellites were to go offline, the financial system would crash, public navigation would be hindered, the power grid would be affected, military aircraft would have no sense of navigation, and more, according to an article from The Atlantic. Furthermore, GPS guided bombs and missiles would be rendered useless, according to a 60 Minutes interview with Bridger General Bill Cooley, the Commander at the Air Force Research Laboratory located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

In addition to the well-known GPS satellites, America relies on several other constellations, or groups of satellites, to monitor the globe for missile launches, provide secured communications, and more. 

“Our Military Services have created the world’s best space capabilities,”  said Mark Esper, secretary of defense, at a signing in the Pentagon. “Now is the time for the U.S. Space Force to lead our Nation in preparing for emerging threats in an evolving space environment.”  

He added that this new service will help guarantee we are in a position to defend our national interests and outpace potential adversaries. 

Before the United States Space Force, a command within the U.S. Air Force was responsible for the defense of military assets in space. Referred to as “the Air Force Space Command,” in the earliest days, there was no need to defend these satellites, they were safe, and out of reach in orbit. 

As America continued to keep the pace, Russia and China increased aggression in space. The Russians have closely maneuvered military satellites near U.S. commercial satellites. Anti-satellite weapons are within range of nearly all Earth orbits. Space is now a warfighting domain. 

The classified NROL-37 mission departed the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, on Jun. 11, 2016. Photo// Alexander Polimeni

“Let me be very clear, we do not want a conflict that extends into space, but one way to keep that from happening is to make sure that we’re prepared for it and [can] fight and win that conflict if it were to occur,” said John Raymond, general of the U.S. Space Force, to the House Armed Services Committee.

A drastic reorganization is underway in the United States space Force, as resources and airmen are moved from AFSPC.

Air Force bases that have had a large space mission will be transferred to the USSF, and be renamed accordingly. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is planned to be renamed to the “Cape Canaveral Space Force Station” sometime at the end of the month. The Vandenberg Air Force Base, America’s west-coast launch site, will also be renamed, according to an article by Spaceflight Now. 

The USSF will still be under the supervision of the Department of the Air Force, but will be funded separately, and will have a Joint-Chief of Staff directly advising the President, significantly elevating the space mission. 

Space is the next frontier – but also the next battlefield. With America’s reliance on space-based assets, it is paramount that we are ready and willing to counter aggression on orbit. Life would not be the same without these satellites. Without space, it would be akin to going back to pre-industrial warfare. These missions absolutely save lives, so we must be ready to protect our spacecraft at all costs. America’s military-might depends on space.