United States Air ForceTitan 404BSpace Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
NROL-9
Launched
May 22, 1999
Summary
NROL-9 (Misty 2) launched on an United States Air Force Titan 404B from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on May 22, 1999. It was United States Air Force's 1,011th launch, 8th this year and humanity's 4,318th orbital launch attempt. It was the 1st Titan 404B flight. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). 11 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Titan 404B · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Government/Top Secret · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 1st Titan 404B flightUnited States Air Force's 1,011th launch8th this yearhumanity's 4,318th orbital launch attempt29th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Catalogued objects
11 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 9 debris; 1 still in orbit
- USA 144 · NORAD 25744 · in orbit
Titan 4B-12 Stage 2 · re-entered June 1, 1999
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
This satellite is suspected to be a stealthy electro-optical reconnaissance satellite. The program name for developing an stealth IMINT capability is reportedly "Misty". Hobbyist satellite observers continue to track an object from that launch in a 2700 km × 3100 km, 63.4° orbit, but detailed orbital analysis reveals significant solar radiation pressure perturbations, from an area to mass ratio of about 0.1 m2/kg, 10 to 20 times that of a payload, and more akin to debris or a decoy, can be deduced. It appears to be no more than 5 to 10 m across, and only a few hundred kilograms in mass. If USA 144 is Misty-2, then it is likely to be in a 700 to 800 km, quasi 65° orbit. These orbits are low-drag, so orbit maintenance manoeuvres are not required.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
65th launch from Space Launch Complex 4E, 1st this year · 592nd from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
303 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
575 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did NROL-9 (Misty 2) launch?
NROL-9 (Misty 2) launched on May 22, 1999. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch NROL-9 (Misty 2)?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched NROL-9 (Misty 2)?
Titan 404B, flown by United States Air Force. Titan 404B spec sheet
Where did NROL-9 (Misty 2) launch from?
Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What orbit was NROL-9 (Misty 2) going to?
Low Earth Orbit (LEO), a government/top secret mission.
How many satellites did NROL-9 (Misty 2) launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).