USA 294 (NROL 151)

Launch data:

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• This launch is the first under the NRO′s Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket contract, known as RASR, which enables the agency′s exploration of new launch opportunities by providing a streamlined, commercial approach for launching small satellites.

Mission details:

• RocketLab flew its 11th Electron mission from New Zealand′s Mahia Peninsula on Jan 31, 2020. It placed a satellite for the US National Reconnaissance Office in low Earth orbit with approximately 70 degrees inclination. The mission was designated NROL-151 and the satellite is codenamed USA 294. Exact orbit of NROL-151 is not yet known. US registration documents supplied to the UN are apparently stuck in a backlog - the latest made public online covers up to early 2017.
• The USA 294 satellite launched by Electron in January has been located in a 586 x 588 km x 70.0 deg orbit.

External links:

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