Many Americans on the mid-Atlantic coast will refer to the scenario of Northrop Grumman’s Minotaur 1 rocket launch Tuesday morning.

The rocket will take off from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the island of Wallops, Virginia, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Surface at 7 p.m.
The National Tourism Office, the US government agency in charge of US intelligence satellites, will launch three new satellites into orbit aboard the Minotaur 1, said the director of the NRO’s Launch Office. Air Force Colonel Chad Davis said.

“We are the nation’s eye and ear in space,” Davis said. “On any given day, about 500,000 people are receiving intelligence from information gathered from NGO systems.”
He said this intelligence is used to make important decisions regarding national security and to assist American fighters.

Building of the Minotaur 1

This Minotaur 1 rocket consists of a Minutman phase that was interrupted in two of the four phases, said Lt. Col. Ryan Rose, UK.
Davis said the Minuteman systems are intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to protect the United States in the event of an attack and can be deployed at a moment’s notice.

He said the first Minuteman missile went online in 1962, and over the years new missiles have been designed to replace the older missiles.
When the missiles become obsolete, ICBM engines go into storage, where they are maintained by Rose’s division. If the opportunity arises to use rocket engines, they are refurbished and tested for airworthiness.
Fitzpatrick said some of Northrop Gromman’s rockets use steps removed from previous rockets as a cost-effective solution in building their rockets.

Launch time of Minotaur 1

The rocket will take off from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the island of Wallops, Virginia, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Surface at 7 p.m.

How to watch Minotaur 1 Launch

The launch will also be made available on NASA TV (feed below), with coverage starting at 6:30 a.m. ET.

Photos of Minotaur 1