Sunday was undoubtedly a big day for the United States. Not only was it the day of Barack Obama’s Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, but it was also a “giant leap” for space exploration.

 

The NRO (the United States’ National Reconnaissance Office) launched the eagerly anticipated L-26 satellite, which also goes by the name of USA 202. The satellite was launched aboard a special launch vehicle, namely a Delta IV Heavy launcher.

The mission has so far been classified, yet in the inner circles it was long anticipated. Although it was suppose to occur a while back, it was delayed several times, as the crew and the engineers encountered technical malfunctions and experienced difficulties.

 

The launcher and the satellite were launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, from Launch Complex 37B. After launch, the satellite began what was about to become a very successful flight into orbit. This mission was the first to use the sturdy Delta IV Heavy rocket.

 

It was fortunate, of course, that the launch mission was a success, as a failed launch would have meant only a new crisis in the intelligence community in the United States, a community which is already full of activities as the world grows increasingly more dangerous by the day.