NRO
Government & Politics abbreviation · US Federal Agency
| Stands for | National Reconnaissance Office |
|---|---|
| Categories | Government & Politics |
NRO stands for National Reconnaissance Office, a US federal agency abbreviation.
Designs, builds, launches and operates the US government's spy satellites, supplying imagery and signals data to the NSA, NGA, military and other agencies. The Defense Department agency is based in Chantilly, Virginia, and led by a Director.
Example: An NRO payload launched aboard a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Usage notes
Created in 1961, the NRO was so secret that its existence was not declassified until 1992. Its early CORONA film-return satellites, declassified in 1995, photographed the Soviet Union and other areas from 1960 to 1972. Its launch mission patches often draw public attention for their cryptic designs.
Related abbreviations
More US federal agency abbreviations
- NLRB – National Labor Relations Board
- NNSA – National Nuclear Security Administration
- NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- NPS – National Park Service
- NRC – U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- NRCS – Natural Resources Conservation Service
- NSA – National Security Agency
- NSC – National Security Council
- NSF – U.S. National Science Foundation
- NTIA – National Telecommunications and Information Administration
- NTSB – National Transportation Safety Board
- NWS – National Weather Service