SpaceX set to launch US spy satellite on Sunday

New York April 29 (IANS) SpaceX is set to launch on Sunday a classified mission for the US National Reconnaissance Office NRO) the agency in charge of designing building launching and maintaining America s intelligence satellites.

SpaceX s Falcon 9 rocket will deliver the spy satellite known as NROL-76 to orbit from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The two hour launch window opens on Sunday at 7 a.m. EDT. A backup launch window opens on Monday at 7 a.m. EDT SpaceX said in a statement.

Following stage separation Falcon 9 s first stage will attempt to land at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Florida.

Not much about the rocket s secretive payload is known.

Unlike commercial launches SpaceX did not say how long it would take the satellite to deploy or to what orbit it would travel the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.

--IANS
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