On Saturday, the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office launched a new and classified satellite into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy Rocket.
The spy satellite, NROL-91, took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 3:25 p.m. and was the first launch of a Delta 4 from the West Coast.
The NRO is responsible for building, launching, and maintaining the nation's spy satellites, and Director Chris Scolese shared in a statement the significance of the Delta rockets.
"The Delta IV Heavy has proven to be an integral part of the NRO's history, helping us build the architecture for the world's best space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance," Scolese said.
More Deltas are scheduled to take off from Florida before they are replaced by the next generation of Vulcan Centaur rockets.
First launching into space in December 2004, the Delta IV Heavy has now completed the 387th Delta rocket flight since 1960.
The satellites launched by the rockets have helped provide intelligence data to policymakers, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the intelligence community.
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