A large U.S. spy satellite was successfully launched into orbit Saturday from central California as concerns mounted that the continued government shutdown threatens to disrupt launch plans for future commercial, civilian and potentially even military payloads. The Delta IV rocket carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 11:10 a.m. local time, with the 1.6-million-pound rocket’s main engines performing as expected and the upper stage igniting about six minutes...

Source: Wall Street Journal January 19, 2019 22:28 UTC