Welcome everyone! Been a while since we’ve had one of these!
| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2025-04-15 19:33 |
|---|---|
| Scheduled for (local) | 2025-04-16 12:33 (EDT) |
| Launch site | SLC-8, Vandenberg SFB, California, USA |
| Launch vehicle | Minotaur IV |
| Launch provider | Northrop Grumman |
| Customer | National Reconnaissance Office |
| Payload | NROL-174 |
| Mission success criteria | Successful launch and deployment of payload into LEO |
Livestreams (none)
| Stream | Link |
|---|---|
| Northrop Grumman | https://www.youtube.com/@northropgrummanmedia/streams |
| NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/@NASASpaceflight/streams |
| Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V9Ghq23BcA |
| Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceflightNowVideo/streams |
| The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/@TheLaunchPad/streams |
Launch statistics
☑️ 1st Minotaur IV mission of 2025
☑️ 8th Minotaur IV mission overall
Mission Details 🚀
Classified mission for the National Reconnoissance Office carrying multiple national security payloads.
No livestreams of this launch, but a few photos and a video after the fact.
And of course, confirmation from Jonathan McDowell: https://bsky.app/profile/planet4589.bsky.social/post/3lmxjvyc72s2q
LAUNCH at 1933 UTC Apr 16 of a Minotaur IV from Space Launch Complex 8 at Vandenberg with an unknown number of small NRO satellites
Video from NSF: https://bsky.app/profile/nasaspaceflight.com/post/3lmzvomntgs2p
Confirmation of two payloads by Jonathan McDowell: https://bsky.app/profile/planet4589.bsky.social/post/3ln2gzr77zc2t