Photos: Spectacular Military Missile Launches

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U.S. Navy Shoots Down Target Missile in Space

U.S. Navy Photo.

NRO's Secret NROL-36 Payload Launches

Pat Corkery/United Launch Alliance

An Atlas 5 rocket ascends toward space carrying the classified NROL-36 satellite and 11 small science cubesats on Sept. 13, 2012, in a flight from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Experimental Military Microsatellites Reach Orbit

Carleton Bailie/Boeing.

A Boeing Delta 2 rocket launches the MiTEx military microsatellite mission into orbit on June 21, 2006 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Earth based missiles

Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.