The successful launch of a Delta IV Heavy configuration from America’s West Coast means the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payload L-49 is on its way into orbit.

Delta 352’s payload is officially classified; however it is widely believed to be a KH-11 “Improved Crystal” electro-optical reconnaissance satellite. The KH-11 first flew in the late 1970s, replacing earlier film-return imaging satellites like the KH-9 Hexagon. Instead of returning images by film, KH-11 satellites transmit them electronically. Four separate generations of KH-11 satellites have been identified, with the later two unofficially referred to as KH-11B or KH-12.

KH-11 satellites are designed to produce high-resolution images, which are then relayed to the ground via Satellite Data System (SDS) spacecraft in molniya and geosynchronous orbits. They are reported to resemble the Hubble Space Telescope.

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The launch of NRO L-49 came amid a period of increased activity in terms of NRO launches. One Medium and one Heavy payload were launched during the last four months of last year, and in the next year two heavy, two medium and one light payload are scheduled to fly. Two NRO CubeSats, QbX-1 and QbX-2, were also launched in December aboard a Falcon 9.

I noticed an amusing comparison on pickuptrucks.com of the Dodge Ram 3500 Heavy Duty Diesel to the NASA rocket.

Delta IV Heavy:
Max payload 28,650 lbs
51,000,000hp
0.00087mpg
$600,000 to fill up
0-60mph in 15 seconds

Dodge Ram 3500 HD:
Max payload 25,400 lbs
350hp
11.8mpg
$118.65 to fill up
0-60mph in 10.4 seconds

The rocket mpg calculation seems off, since it’s calculating only the first stage and not the total distance traveled after liftoff. More to the point, it is hard to believe that a 2011 Dodge pickup still only gets 11.8mpg.