Blastoff! Delta IV Heavy launches for final time with secret US spy satellite

The United Launch Alliance’s (ULA’s) Delta IV heavy-lift rocket launched the NROL-70 mission from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on April 9 at 12:53 p.m. EDT (1653 GMT). It was the final launch for the historic rocket. Aboard the Delta Heavy IV rocket was a classified payload launched on behalf of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The NRO rarely discloses the nature or capabilities of its spy satellites, and this particular mission offers no exception. Credit: ULA