Northrop Grumman launched the classified NROL-129 mission, consisting of four payloads designed and built by the National Reconnaissance Office. Liftoff targeted Wednesday, 15 July in a launch window that opened at 09:00 EDT (13:00 UTC), with T-0 coming 46 minutes later after a delay relating to wayward boats in the Range. The mission was declared a success.
This was the first launch of the Minotaur IV from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, which is located on the eastern shore of Virginia near the town of Wattsville.