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Last-Minute Glitch Delays US Spy Satellite Launch

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The Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the classified NROL-71 spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office is seen at sunset Space Launch Complex 6 of California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on Dec. 8, 2018.
The Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the classified NROL-71 spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office is seen at sunset Space Launch Complex 6 of California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on Dec. 8, 2018. (Image credit: United Launch Alliance)

The launch of a clandestine new satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office was delayed by a last-minute glitch less than 8 seconds before its planned liftoff late Saturday (Dec. 8). 

The spy satellite, called NROL-71, was 7.5 seconds from lifting off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on a Delta IV Heavy rocket at 11:15 pm EST (8:15 p.m. PST/0415 Dec. 9 GMT) when the problem occurred, according to the United Launch Alliance, which built the rocket. 

"The launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy carrying the NROL-71 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office was scrubbed today due to an unexpected condition during terminal count at approximately 7.5 seconds before liftoff," ULA representatives said in a statement. "The team is currently reviewing all data and will determine the path forward. A new launch date will be provided when available." The problem was detected by the rocket's the Terminal Countdown Sequencer Rack, they added. [Stacking Up the World's Tallest Rockets]

The Delta IV Heavy rocket is the most powerful booster in use by the United Launch Alliance, a cooperative launch service by Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The rocket stands 233 feet (71 meters) tall and can launch payloads of up to 14,000 pounds (6,350 kilograms) into geosychronous orbit.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Originally published on Space.com. 

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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 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 with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.