USA 173 is an American military satellite (operated by the National Reconnaissance Office)
Atlas II was a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas missile program of the 1950s. It was designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. Sixty-three launches of the Atlas II, IIA and IIAS models were carried out between 1991 and 2004; all sixty-three launches were successes, making the Atlas II the most reliable launch system in history.
When is the Atlas IIAS | NROL-18 launch?
What rocket is being used for NROL-18 (Intruder 6A & 6B)?
Where is the Atlas IIAS | NROL-18 launching from?
What orbit is NROL-18 (Intruder 6A & 6B) going to?
Who is launching NROL-18 (Intruder 6A & 6B)?
Can I watch the Atlas IIAS | NROL-18 launch live?
Mission Profile
NROL-18 (Intruder 6A & 6B) was a Atlas IIAS mission operated by Lockheed Martin that lifted off from Space Launch Complex 3E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on December 2, 2003. The flight carried its payload on a government/top secret mission to Low Earth Orbit. The launch was a success.