NROL-129 Launch Press Kit
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1 | NROL-129 LAUNCH PRESS KIT

Mission Patches

The #NROL129 mission is represented by 

two launch patches featuring two warrior 

figures working together to defend our nation’s 

interests and deny our enemies sanctuary. 

The patches include the phrase “Our Time has 

Come,” which symbolizes that these payloads 

will enable the NRO’s continued support to 

both defense and intelligence operations in 

support of national security.

more traditional satellites. This approach 

allows the NRO to pursue a hybrid overhead 

architecture designed to provide global 

coverage against a wide range of intelligence 

requirements, carry out research and 

development efforts, and assist emergency 

and disaster relief efforts in the U.S. and 

around the world.

NROL-129

The National Reconnaissance 

Office (NRO) is proud to support 

its first dedicated launch out of 

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in 

Virginia, in partnership with NASA 

Wallops, Northrop Grumman, 

Virginia Space and the U.S. Space 

Force Space and Missile 

System Center.

The NROL-129 mission will carry four 

payloads designed, built and operated 

by the agency and will launch aboard a 

Northrop Grumman Minotaur IV rocket NET 

July 15, 2020 from Mid-Atlantic Regional 

Spaceport Pad 0B. NROL-129 supports 

NRO’s overall national security mission to 

provide intelligence data to United States’ 

senior policy makers, the Intelligence 

Community and Department of Defense. 

NROL-129 will be NRO’s 54th launch since 

1996 and its first launch on a Minotaur IV. 

The NRO’s next launch from NASA Wallops 

Flight Facility is scheduled for 2nd Quarter 

CY2021, and the NRO looks forward to its 

continued collaboration with its launch 

partners on the Virginia Space Coast.

NRO Mission

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) 

is an Intelligence Community element 

and Department of Defense organization 

responsible for developing, acquiring, 

launching and operating America’s 

reconnaissance satellites, as well as 

operating associated data processing 

facilities in support of national security. 

Using NRO data, the National Security 

Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence 

Agency, and other NRO mission partners 

produce intelligence products for the 

President, Congress, national policymakers, 

warfighters, and civil users.

The NRO uses a variety of satellites to meet 

these mission needs – from small sats to 
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Rocket & 

Launch Facts

Minotaur IV has four stages; 

the first three stages utilize 

government-furnished solid rocket 

motors from decommissioned 

Peacekeeper ICBMs. The 

commercial solid rocket upper 

stage is an Orion 38. Minotaur IV 

is capable of launching payloads 

up to 1,730 kg (3,814 lb.) to low 

Earth orbit; Minotaur IV made its 

maiden flight on 22 April 2010.

4th

Stage

3rd

Stage

2nd Stage 1st Stage Payload

Rocket Name:

Minotaur IV

Fuel Type:

Solid

Height:

23.88m

Diameter:

2.34m

Launch Date:

NET July 15

Window Opens:

9 a.m. EDT

Northrop Grumman 

To date, Northrop Grumman Minotaur 

rockets have completed 26 missions out 

of every major U.S. spaceport with 100% 

success. Under the U.S. Air Force Orbital/

Suborbital Program-3 (OSP-3) contract, 

Northrop Grumman integrates, tests and 

provides space launch services for the 

Minotaur I, IV, V, VI and C family of rockets. 

The OSP-3 contract is managed by the 

Rocket Systems Launch Program, which 

is part of U.S. Space Force and Missile 

Systems Center (SMC). OSP-3 expands on 

OSP-2 by continuing to use excess ICBM 

motors, and includes potential Evolved 

Expendable Launch Vehicle new entrant 

launch vehicles. The OSP-3 contract allows 

for an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity 

with a $900M ceiling based on a firm fixed 

price service contract strategy. 
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Site Info

NROL-129 will launch from the Mid-Atlantic 

Regional Spaceport (MARS) Launchpad 

0B. The MARS launch complex is located 

adjacent to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility 

(WFF), in Wallops Island, Virginia. WFF 

previously ran the complex until 2003, and 

under a contract with the Commonwealth 

of Virginia continues to provide various 

support services to MARS launches. 

Today, the Virginia Commercial Space 

Flight Authority, a political subdivision of 

the Commonwealth of Virginia known as 

‘Virginia Space’, owns and operates MARS. 

The MARS launch complex consists of 

three individual launch pads, LP-0A, LP0B, and Launch Complex-2. LP-0B became 

operational in 1999, and was subsequently 

upgraded in 2003 with the construction of 

a mobile service tower completed in 2004.

LP-0B (left) and LP-0A (center, with the large water tower).
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Recent 

Successes

The combination of 

commercial capabilities, 

technological advancements, 

and government-developed 

systems provides 

opportunities to expand 

the supplier base, improve 

performance, reduce cost, 

and enhance resiliency. 

-Dr. Chris Scolese, Director, National 

Reconnaissance Office

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) 

recently collaborated with NASA, Northrop 

Grumman, and Mid-Atlantic Regional 

Spaceport in November 2019 to launch 

two NRO research and development 

CubeSats via rideshare as part of the 

Northrop Grumman-12 (NG-12) Cygnus 

resupply mission to the International Space 

Station. The two CubeSats are part of the 

NRO’s IMPACT program, which provides 

early evaluation of new technologies in 

space--together the CubeSats hosted 14 

technology demonstrations ranging from 

materials to solar cells to star tracker 

experiments and on-board processors. 

After traveling to the ISS, the CubeSats 

later deployed to their final orbit for their 

intended research. Read more here.

In January 2020, NRO collaborated with 

Rocket Lab and the New Zealand Space 

Agency to launch NROL-151, our first 

dedicated mission from New Zealand. NROL151 was the first launch under the NRO’s 

Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) 

contract, announced in April 2018. RASR 

enables NRO to explore new opportunities 

for launching small satellites through a 

streamlined, commercial approach. This 

approach allows the NRO to pursue the 

use of both large and small satellites for an 

integrated architecture designed to provide 

global coverage against a wide range of 

intelligence requirements. Read more here.

In June 2020, NRO again collaborated with 

Rocket Lab to launch our second mission of 

2020 aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket 

from the Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. 

The launch, also procured under the RASR 

contract, was named “Don’t Stop Me Now” 

by Rocket Lab and carried three payloads 

designed, built and operated by NRO, as 

well as two additional CubeSats - one for 

NASA and the other from the University of 

New South Wales, Canberra Space. Read 

more here.

Two CubeSats from NRO’s IMPACT program.
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Future 

Launches

Upcoming Scheduled launches— 

• NRO’s next two scheduled launches are 

NROL-44 and NROL 101, both from Cape 

Canaveral Air Force Station in 3rd Qrt of 

CY2020

• The next NRO launch from Vandenberg 

Air Force Base is scheduled for 4th Qtr 

CY2020

• The next launch from NASA Wallops is 

scheduled for 2nd Qtr CY2021

• The next launch from New Zealand is 

scheduled for 2nd Qtr CY2021

Watch Live! U-Stream on NASA’s 

Youtube Channel here

Follow @NatReconOfc on Twitter 

and Instagram on launch day

NROL-151—NRO’s first dedicated launch onboard a Rocket Lab 

Electron rocket from Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand, Jan. 31, 2020.