The Air Force Thursday successfully launched the satellite NROL-33 for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, according to launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA).
The mission took place on an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) 401 configuration vehicle, which includes a four-meter-diameter payload fairing. The Atlas V rocket uses the Russian-made RD-180 engine as its first stage booster. The Centaur upper stage was powered by a single Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10A engine.
The EELV program is an Air Force program to provide the federal government access to space. The next ULA launch is the Delta II Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) for NASA, scheduled for July 1 from Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Boeing [BA]. Aerojet Rocketdyne is a division of GenCorp [GY].