A satellite that according to reports will be used to eavesdrop on enemy communications was launched on Sunday. The spacecraft was released to orbit by the United States National Reconnaissance Office from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station via a Delta-4 heavy rocket.

The spacecraft which can put as much as 13 tons in a geostationary transfer orbit is the largest unpiloted American launch vehicle and has an antenna reflector of 18m for relaying phone and data traffic.

The gigantic booster which took off at 1758hrs is taking its fourth flight since its inaugural outing in 2004. Three core boosters are located within the rocket with each having a Rocketdyne-built RS-68 engine. The engine burns a ton of propellant per second and gives off 650,000 lbs force of thrust at take-off. On the other hand, the Apollo moon rockets were able to produce three times this amount of force.

So far, the largest satellite to be launched has been the Terrestar-1 telecoms spacecraft which weighed about 7 tons.
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