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10 minutes ago, Jim K said:

Wouldn't be surprised if SAOCOM is delayed because of the NROL abort earlier today.

it will depend if NROL has to be rolled back into the hanger for checks. If it's not then SAOCOM will certainly be delayed.

 

  • 4 weeks later...

One more try at a launch triple-header

 

https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/space/2020/09/25/space-coast-to-see-series-of-launches

 

Quote

3 Rockets in 3 Days Poised to Blast Off From Florida

The first of the launches is a whopper of a rocket — a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy is poised and ready to blast off early Sunday morning. This is one of the U.S.'s largest rockets and is sure to look dramatic if it goes up as scheduled during the overnight hours.

On top of ULA’s most powerful vehicle will be an intelligence-gathering spy satellite [NROL-44] for the National Reconnaissance Office. There is an hour-long window for the launch, which opens at 12:10 a.m. EDT Sunday. That launch is scheduled to take off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.....
>
Then on Monday morning, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center. That rocket will be carrying 60 Starlink internet satellites and is set to lift off at 10:22 a.m. EDT.

The third launch in three days, another SpaceX Falcon 9, is scheduled to launch with a U.S. Space Force GPS satellite [GPS 3 SV04]. That launch is scheduled to take place at 9:55 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
>

 

Sounds like the Delta IV Heavy NROL-44 payload is Advanced Orion 10/Mentor 8, a geostationary signals intelligence (SIGINT) satellite. These are 5-6 tonnes with a 100 meter  wide deployable dish antenna.

 

sigintadvancedoriontrumpet.jpg

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