NROL-82 Launch Press Kit

NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE
INNOVATIVE OVERHEAD INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS FOR NATIONAL SECURITY

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The NROL-82 mission patch was designed 

to commemorate the many heroic acts 

and sacrifices made to protect our way of 

life. The NROL-82 logo depicts an eagle, 

America’s symbol of freedom, wearing the 

traditional flight gear of a WWII Fighter Ace, 

specifically Gregory “Pappy” Boyington. In 

the background you will find an F4U Corsair, 

Boyington’s aircraft, and the three stars on 

the patch honor those who have served, are 

serving, or will serve to preserve America’s 

way of life. The Latin phrase, TACITAE 

LIBERTATIS CUSTODEMQUE, ties the logo 

together in its translation: Silent Guardians 

of Freedom. To read more about the logo 

inspiration, visit our social media accounts 

on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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 GeospatialIntelligence 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 more traditional, larger 

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-82

The National Reconnaissance Office 

(NRO) is proud to partner with United 

Launch Alliance (ULA) on our ninth 

launch aboard a Delta IV Heavy 

launch vehicle. The NROL-82 mission 

will launch from Vandenberg Air 

Force Base, California, and carry a 

national security payload designed, 

built and operated by the agency. 

NROL-82 supports NRO’s overall 

national security mission to provide 

intelligence data to the United States’ 

senior policy makers, the Intelligence 

Community and Department of 

Defense. This is our 31st launch in 

partnership with ULA, alongside other 

mission partners at the U.S. Space 

Force Space and Missile Systems 

Center and the 30th Space Wing. 
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Rocket & 

Launch Facts

United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy 

is a heavy-lift launch vehicle, the largest 

type of the Delta IV family and one of the 

world’s most powerful rockets. The Delta 

IV Heavy configuration is comprised of a 

common booster core (CBC), a cryogenic 

upper stage and a 5-meter-diameter 

payload fairing (PLF). The Delta IV Heavy 

employs two additional CBCs as liquid 

rocket boosters to augment the firststage CBC. The Delta IV Heavy can lift 

28,370 kg (62,540 lbs) to low Earth 

orbit and 14,210 kg (31,330 lbs) to 

geosynchronous transfer orbit. It is an 

all liquid-fueled rocket, consisting of an 

upper stage, one main booster and two 

strap-on boosters.

With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA has successfully delivered more 

than 140 missions to orbit that aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, unlock the 

mysteries of our solar system, provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, deliver 

cutting-edge commercial services and enable GPS navigation.

Graphic credit: ULA

Payload Fairing (PLF)

The PLF encapsulates the spacecraft to protect 

it from the launch environment on ascent. The 

19.2-m (63-ft) long PLF makes the vehicle’s height 

approximately 71 m (233 ft).

Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS)

The DCSS is a cryogenic liquid hydrogen/liquid 

oxygen fueled vehicle, with a single RL10B-2 engine 

that produces 110.1 kilo-Newtons (24,750 lbs) 

of thrust.

Boosters

The Delta IV booster propulsion is provided by three 

liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen-burning RS-68A 

engines. Each RS-68A engine produces 312.3 kiloNewtons (705,200 lbs) of thrust for a combined total 

liftoff thrust of more than 2.1 million pounds.
INNOVATIVE OVERHEAD INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS FOR NATIONAL SECURITY

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NROL-71 launches on a United Launch 

Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy from SLC-6 

in Jan. 2019. Photo credit: ULA

Site Info

Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6)

NROL-82 will launch from Space Launch Complex 6 

(SLC-6) at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The 

first launch from SLC-6 was on an Athena I rocket in 

August 1995. In 2000, Boeing took over SLC-6 and in 

2006 ULA was formed, re-fitting the site to serve as the 

west coast home for the Delta IV launch 

vehicle family with modifications to the Mobile 

Assembly Shelter, Mobile Service Tower, 

Launch Tower, and other support structures. 

NROL-82 will be NRO’s first launch from 

Vandenberg since Janunary 2019.
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NROL-129 launches out of NASA’s Wallops Flight 

Facility, Virginia, on July 15, 2020.

Visit https://www.nro.gov/News/

Press-Releases/ to view the latest 

launch press releases.

Recent 

Successes

The incredible collaboration of the 

NRO’s team of civilian, military, and 

contractor personnel combined with 

strong mission partner, commercial, 

academic, and international 

relationships allows us to keep 

pushing the envelope in making the 

seemingly impossible possible.

-National Reconnaissance Office 

Director Dr. Chris Scolese

NROL-82 will be NRO’s first launch of 2021 

and will carry a national security payload 

designed, built and operated by the agency. 

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 

pandemic, NRO last year successfully 

launched six missions from two countries. 

We started the year with our first dedicated 

mission launch from New Zealand in 

collaboration with Rocket Lab and the New 

Zealand Space Agency. NROL-151 was the 

first launch under NRO’s Rapid Acquisition 

of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract. RASR 

enables NRO to explore new opportunities 

for launching small satellites through a 

streamlined, commercial approach. Our 

second launch of 2020 was also from 

New Zealand with these same partners, 

carrying 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.

In July 2020, NRO collaborated with NASA, 

Northrop Grumman, and Virginia Space/MidAtlantic Regional Spaceport to launch our 

first dedicated launch out of NASA’s 

Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. NROL-129 

launched aboard a Northrop Grumman 

Minotaur IV rocket. 

In November and December 2020, we 

collaborated with United Launch Alliance 

(ULA), the U.S. Space Force Space and 

Missile Systems Center, and the 45th Space 

Wing to launch NROL-101 on an Atlas V rocket 

and NROL-44 on a Delta IV Heavy rocket from 

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. 

Finally, also in December 2020 we 

collaborated with SpaceX for the first 

time since 2017 to launch NROL-108 on 

a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy 

Space Center, Florida. NRO is proud to 

have had several firsts throughout 2020 

and we’re looking forward to continued 

mission success in 2021 with the launch 

of NROL-82 and, later in the second 

quarter of CY2021, the launch of NROL111 from Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
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Future 

Launches

• NRO’s next launch is NROL-111, 

scheduled for later this quarter from 

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia

NROL-44 is pictured on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy on Space Launch 

Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Photo Credit: ULA

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Follow @NatReconOfc on Twitter 

for live updates on launch day