NROL 76 (USA 276)

Launch data:

Spacecraft data:

Mission details:

• SpaceX carried out its first launch of an NRO payload on May 1, 2017. The launch was codenamed NROL-76. Falcon 9 core stage B1032 took off from Kennedy Space center′s LC39A and landed at nearby Cape Canaveral′s Landing Zone 1. The second stage entered a low Earth orbit with a 51 degree inclination and deployed the USA 276 payload. The stage then carried out a long duration coast as a technology test before being deorbited. USA 276, which was reportedly built by Ball Aerospace, is apparently an experimental NRO technology demonstration satellite, possibly a followon to USA 193 whch failed a decade ago.

External links:

• Satellite tracking (n2ya.com): Real time satellite tracking