The US National Reconnaissance Agency launched the satellite into orbit aboard a United Alliance Delta 4 rocket for safety purposes, local officials said.

The agency said in a statement that the rocket is the last Delta-4 launch from the West Coast, where additional launches from Florida were planned before the Delta was replaced by Vulcan Centaur rockets, which represent the next generation of United Delta Alliance,” indicating that the rocket, which was launched from the Cape Canaveral spaceport, placed the satellite into low Earth orbit about 15 minutes after takeoff.

The National Reconnaissance Agency is the government agency responsible for developing, building, launching, and maintaining U.S. security and spy satellites and provides intelligence to politicians, the intelligence community, and the Department of Defense.

The American space research corporation SpaceX52 recently launched the Starlink satellite into space.