ULA Delta IV Heavy - NROL-68

Wednesday’s launch marks the 15th flight of a Delta IV Heavy, and its eleventh mission in support of the NRO. Its ten previous NRO missions have been an even split between high-inclination low-Earth orbit launches from Vandenberg and geostationary launches from Cape Canaveral. All of the geostationary launches are believed to have carried the same type of payload: an electronic signals intelligence (ELINT) satellite which is known as Orion. It is therefore reasonable to assume that Wednesday’s launch will be carrying another Orion satellite.