US spy agency launched this Earth-conquering octopus logo into orbit

[TransitJohn]

US spy agency launched this Earth-conquering octopus logo into orbit

It sounds like a joke, but this octopus, which looks like it might just eat the Earth, waving its tentacles over the slogan "Nothing is Beyond Our Reach," is the logo for NROL-39, the latest satellite mission launched by the United States' National Reconnaissance Office.

This logo adorns the NROL-39 satellite, which was launched by Atlas V rocket earlier this week. And NRO spokesperson Karen Furgerson doesn't do much to make the logo seem less threatening. In an interview with Forbes, she said:

NROL-39 is represented by the octopus, a versatile, adaptable, and highly intelligent creature. Emblematically, enemies of the United States can be reached no matter where they choose to hide. 'Nothing is beyond our reach' defines this mission and the value it brings to our nation and the warfighters it supports, who serve valiantly all over the globe, protecting our nation.

So, malevolent octopus aside, what is the purpose of the mission? Here is the agenda according to the NRO press release:

NROL-39 will carry the Government Experimental Multi-Satellite (GEMSat) payload into orbit in a specially designed Aft Bulkhead Carrier, part of the Atlas V Centaur upper stage. The GEMSat payload contains 12 CubeSats, or "nanosatellites."

GEMSat's CubeSats will perform a variety of unique scientific experiments and demonstrate high-technology operational concepts. Sponsored by the NRO's Mission Integration Directorate and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Launch Support Program, these CubeSats were developed by a number of laboratories, universities, and government entities across the United States.

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