With a brilliant blue-sky backdrop, a soaring SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle during a late-afternoon mission Tuesday, July 21, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The Falcon 9 took flight at 5:15 p.m. from Launch Complex 40. Touted by Northrop Grumman as a “Swiss army knife for satellites,” the MRV is designed for on-orbit satellite inspection, life extension, repairs, upgrades, debris removal and repositioning.
Looking ahead on the Eastern Range calendar, another Falcon 9 will launch July 30 on a SpaceX national security mission, a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows. More details on the NROL-95 mission:
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly 321 Launch space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY, where he has covered news since 2004. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: See images of SpaceX launching Northrop Grumman robotic spacecraft
Reporting by Rick Neale, Florida Today / Florida Today
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By Rick Neale, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
