Minotaur I - NROL-111 - MARS (Wallops) - 15 June 2021 (13:35 UTC)

[edkyle99]

From the NRO. 

"Today the National Reconnaissance Office, in collaboration with U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, Northrop Grumman, and Virginia Space/Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, successfully launched the NROL-111 mission aboard a Northrop Grumman Minotaur I."

https://www.nro.gov/News/News-Articles/Article/2658542/nro-returns-to-virginias-space-coast-with-nrol-111/

Additionally, Space News reports that "The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center confirmed on Tuesday that the payloads were deployed successfully."

https://spacenews.com/northrop-grummans-minotaur-1-rocket-launches-three-classified-nro-payloads/

 - Ed Kyle

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/trevormahlmann/status/1404833101692481544

Stunning. Minotaur I launches 3 clandestine payloads to orbit for the @NatReconOfc this morning at 9:35 am from Wallops Flight Facility🚀

[eeergo]

SRMs were fabricated more than half a century ago!

https://twitter.com/Skyrocket71/status/1404835884789342208

[Targeteer]

National Reconnaissance Office  12h  ·

To recap, our NROL-111 mission launched at 9:35 a.m. this morning on a Northrop Grumman Minotaur I rocket from MARS Pad 0B at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. NROL-111 is our second launch in 2021, our 60th anniversary year.
For six decades, NRO has been successfully innovating and meeting the needs of its U.S. intelligence, military, and federal civil partners and today remains the world’s leader in unique intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems.
“NRO is the best in the world at delivering space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to more than half a million government users working together to keep America safe,” said NRO Director Dr. Christopher Scolese. “NROL-111 is the 16th payload we put on orbit in 18 months to advance our mission of providing critical information to every member of the Intelligence Community, two dozen domestic agencies, our nation’s military, lawmakers, and decision makers.”
“NROL-111 continues NRO’s 60-year legacy of pushing the envelope of the possible through ingenuity and collaboration,” said NRO Principal Deputy Director Dr. Troy Meink. “Our legacy is carried on by the dedicated men and women of the NRO, and supported by our talented mission partners, who made today’s launch a success.”
NROL-111 is NRO’s final scheduled launch for 2021. In 2022, NRO is scheduled to start the year with two launches from New Zealand in January and February, NROL-162 and NROL-199. Also in February, NROL-87 is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Three additional NRO missions are planned for later in 2022.

[Zed_Noir]

Jesus Christ that was fast. 

The Minotaur family of launchers typically have extreme acceleration with short burns for their lower stages from their ICBM heritage. According to wikipedia, the thrust to weight ratio of the Minotaur 1 stage to the entire launch stack is above 2:1. 

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Wow

https://twitter.com/kyle_lts/status/1404836268316545029

The banana peel falls away!
This morning a Minotaur 1 lifted off with NROL-111 taking 3 payloads to orbit!
#nro #NROL111 #minotaur #wallops

https://twitter.com/kyle_lts/status/1405637111806582798

More banana peeling goodness!
The frame just before the pic I posted on Tuesday! The full launch gallery is up on my website at kylelts.photography/Rocket-Launche… and video from the launch is on my YouTube page!
#nro #wallops #wallopsisland #minotaur #launch #spaceforce #nrol111

[Phillipsturtles]

NRO released a highlights video of L-111 which includes shots of the payloads

[Skyrocket]

In the webcast of the NROL-162 launch, there is an animation showing the NROL-111 satellites deployed in orbit.