An Atlas V rocket was successfully launched from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base Thursday night at 11:15 p.m. PST. While a successful rocket launch is one thing, the fact the Atlas V was carrying a classified payload, and the involvement of the National Reconnaissance Office, has led many to speculate that the rocket was carrying spy satellites.
The launch itself was no secret; in fact, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence live tweeted the event. Vandenberg Air Force Base and the 30th Space Wing, which manages launches and testing for the Department of Defense, provided status updates of the launch on Facebook.
According to the ODNI, the NRO was founded in 1961 and "the agency in charge of designing, building, launching and maintaining America’s intelligence satellites." Per the office's tweets, the Atlas V rocket was carrying a classified payload as well as miniature satellites called CubeSats.
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