U.S rocket launches with secret payload aboard

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - A rocket carrying a payload for the U.S. government has successfully launched from the California coast.

The Delta IV rocket lit up clear night skies early Wednesday as it lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base and into orbit.

The rocket carried a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, which operates the nation's system of intelligence-gathering satellites. The agency hasn't released any details about the payload.