On January 19, 2019 at 19:10 UTC the "Delta-4 Heavy” rocket-carrier was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA. The launch was performed by the United Launch Alliance supported by the 30th Space Wing of US Air Force. The rocket orbited the “KH-11-17” (Crystal-17, NROL-71) spy satellite. It is a top-secret surveillance payload owned by the National Reconnaissance Office. The identity, purpose and orbit of the “KH-11-17” satellite have been kept secret by the NRO, which owns the U.S. government’s spy satellite fleet, supplying imagery and data to intelligence agencies and the military.