3 minute read•Updated 1:46 PM EDT, Fri April 18, 2025
A Northrop Grumman Minotaur IV rocket roared back to life over California’s central coast, successfully launching multiple classified payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in a rare West Coast flight of the solid-fueled launch vehicle.
The mission, designated NROL-174, lifted off at 3:33 p.m. Eastern (12:33 p.m. Pacific) from Space Launch Complex 8 (SLC-8) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Watch: https://youtu.be/jK3FQ93dUks
The launch marked a return to Vandenberg for the Minotaur IV after more than a decade-long absence, last seen at the site for an NRO mission in 2011 with NROL-66. While the NRO confirmed the success of the launch shortly after liftoff, as is customary for its operations, no specific information was disclosed about the nature or purpose of the payloads.
A Strategic Launch for National Security
The National Reconnaissance Office, responsible for the development and operation of America’s fleet of intelligence-gathering satellites, conducts highly classified missions in support of the Department of Defense, U.S. intelligence agencies, and national policymakers. NRO launches are often shrouded in secrecy, though their orbits and vehicles can provide clues about their intended capabilities, such as signals intelligence, imaging, or advanced technology demonstrations.
Tuesday’s launch was the third mission conducted under the Orbital/Suborbital Program-3 (OSP-3), an acquisition effort managed by the U.S. Space Force’s Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP).
The OSP-3 contract vehicle allows for rapid and cost-effective access to space, particularly for technology demonstration, experimental, and urgent operational missions that cannot wait for larger launch vehicles.
About the Minotaur IV Rocket
The Minotaur IV is a four-stage, solid-fueled launch vehicle based in part on decommissioned Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) stages. The first three stages are government-furnished Peacekeeper motors, while the fourth is a Northrop Grumman-built Orion 38 commercial upper stage.
The vehicle is capable of placing up to 1,730 kilograms (3,814 pounds) into low Earth orbit (LEO).
First launched in 2010, the Minotaur IV has been used for both defense and experimental missions. It has flown from a variety of launch sites across the United States, including:
Wallops Island, Virginia
Kodiak Island, Alaska
Cape Canaveral, Florida
Vandenberg, California
Vandenberg’s Role Reaffirmed
This launch also reaffirms Vandenberg Space Force Base’s role as a vital hub for polar and sun-synchronous orbit launches, trajectories favored for reconnaissance and Earth observation missions. SLC-8, a compact launch pad within Vandenberg’s south base area, has previously supported multiple Minotaur and other small-class launch vehicle flights.
As the Space Force and intelligence community continue to expand their space-based capabilities, particularly with growing threats in contested orbital environments, platforms like the Minotaur IV offer a reliable, flight-proven solution for urgent and specialized missions.
