NRO Ready To Launch Spy Satellite For Latest Constellation

Illustration of the launch of the NROL mission (photo: dock. SpaceX)

JAKARTA The US National Reconnaissance Agency (NRO) is preparing its first satellite for their latest constellation. The satellite will launch on a secret mission of NROL-146 on Sunday, May 19. Quoted from Spacenews, NRO Vice President Director Troy Meink said that their secret satellite will fly alongside SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite will launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The NRO has never disclosed the position of the orbit they are targeting. However, Meink said that this satellite has very strategic power. This satellite will be the first operational launch of the new NRO architecture. We have launched a number of demonstrations over the past years to verify costs and performance to ensure we are truly comfortable and we know what we are doing (with the latest constellations), said Meik. The NRO official did not explain how many satellites they would launch or how many satellites could be accommodated by their draft constellations. Meik only said that NRO plans to launch six launches this year.

Lembaga negara itu sempat mengatakan bahwa mereka akan meluncurkan lebih banyak satelit ke luar angkasa dengan teknologi terbaru. Harapannya, kemampuan pengintaian yang dimiliki NRO bisa meningkat hingga sepuluh kali lipat. Satelit berukuran kecil akan bermanuver ke wilayah penting. Rencananya, kunjungan ke wilayah penting ini akan sering dilakukan agar NRO bisa menghasilkan penyampaian intelijen penting yang lebih cepat. Pasalnya, posisi intelijen ini penting bagi keamanan negara. “Intelijen berbasis ruang angkasa telah menjadi alat pengumpulan yang utama, jika bukan yang utama, di wilayah-wilayah yang terlarang,” kata Meink, melanjuti penjelasan mengenai pentingnya peluncuran NROL-146.