Classified US Spy Satellite to Launch Today @ 1:45 pm ET

By Tariq Malik
published

Atlas 5 Launch Vehicle on Pad at Night
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 launch vehicle, carrying the NROL-67 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, stands ready for launch from Space Launch Complex-41. (Image credit: ULA)

A clandestine satellite built for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office will launch into space today (April 10) after weeks of delay, and you can watch it live online in two places. The NROL-67 satellite will lift off  at 1:45 p.m. EDT (1745 GMT) from the Air Force Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and you can track the mission live online via Spaceflight Now and Atlas 5 rocket provider United Launch Alliance. 

Spaceflight Now's NROL-67 mission status center is offering live commentary of today's launch. Spaceflight Now will carry the United Launch Alliance webcast, which will begin at 1:25 p.m. EDT (1725 GMT). Due to national security concerns, the webcast will go dark a few minutes after liftoff at the request of the U.S. military. [Military Space: Complete Coverage]

Today's launch of the NROL-67 mission has been delayed since late March after a required ground-based radar system was damaged. The mission was initially slated to launch on March 25. The radar system has since been repaired, setting the stage for today's launch.

You can see a launch timeline for today's Atlas 5 flight via Spaceflight Now.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award (opens in new tab) for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast (opens in new tab) with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network (opens in new tab). To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik (opens in new tab).