Gallery
NROL-67 is a classified (likely electronic intelligence or ELINT) satellite built by the National Reconnaissance Office. It launched aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 541 rocket at 13:45 EST (17:45 UTC) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) located in Florida on April 10, 2014. This version of the venerable Atlas V expendable launch vehicle utilizes a five meter payload fairing, four Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ60A solid rocket motors on its first stage and a single Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engine in the Atlas V's Centaur upper stage. The Atlas V uses a lone Russian-made RD-Amross RD-180 rocket engine in its first stage. Fueled by a mixture of RP-1 (a highly refined formed of kerosene) and liquid oxygen the engine's thrust is directed through two nozzles located at the bottom of the rocket's first stage. The engine's origin can be seen on the Atlas V can be seen by the Cyrillic writing on these nozzles. Photos courtesy of: Mike Howard, Carleton Bailie, Jason Rhian
