SpaceNews.com reported the mission as follows, “A National Reconnaissance Office mission flew to geostationary Earth orbit Sept. 10 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.
The rocket lifted off at 8:47 a.m. Eastern from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The launch had been originally scheduled for August 29 but was delayed due to Hurricane Idalia. A second attempt on Sept. 9 was scrubbed due to a technical issue found during a pre-launch check.
The NROL-107 mission, also known as SilentBarker, carried multiple sensor payloads for surveillance of objects in geostationary orbit.
“It will not be looking at the ground. It will be looking at space,” said Chris Scolese, director of the National Reconnaissance Office. The NRO did not reveal the exact number of payloads flying on this mission.
SilentBarker was built jointly by the NRO and the U.S. Space Force.
NROL-107 was only the second launch by ULA in 2023 and the Atlas 5’s first in nearly 10 months. The vehicle last flew in November when it launched an environmental satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The launch vehicle carrying NROL-107 was powered by a single-engine Centaur upper stage and five strap-on solid boosters.
At the request of the NRO, ULA ended the launch webcast about three-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, following payload fairing jettison. Scolese in a statement Sunday afternoon said NROL-107 successfully reached orbit and will help “meet Department of Defense and intelligence community space protection needs.”
Please use the following link for a replay of the launch .
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