U.S. Prepares to Send New Spy Satellite Aloft
Associated Press
WASHINGTON —
The United States will launch its first spy satellite in more than six months from Vandenberg Air Force Base on July 15, the National Reconnaissance Office announced.
The payload will be carried into space on a Titan IV rocket. The NRO said the rocket is capable of lifting 39,000 pounds into a low orbit.
The agency provided no details, but the heavy payload and low-orbit mission plan suggest the mission involves the improved KH-11, capable of sending detailed images to ground stations through a satellite linkup.
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