Tag: NRO
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Northrop Grumman launches first Minotaur 4 rocket from Vandenberg in 14 years
A Northrop Grumman Minotaur 4 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 8 (SLC-8) on the NROL-174 mission on April 16, 2025. Image: NRO Update 8:04 p.m. EDT: Added comments following the announcement of a successful launch. Northrop Grumman launched its first flight of a Minotaur rocket from California in nearly 14 years. Onboard the…
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SpaceX launches national security satellite for NRO on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX Falcon rocket lifted of from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) to begin the NROL-69 mission on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now The National Reconnaissance Office, which manages the American military’s spy satellites, launched its fifth mission of the 2025 out…
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SpaceX launches 450th Falcon 9 rocket, breaks booster turnaround record on NRO mission
A streak shot of the liftoff and booster landing for the NROL-57 mission on March 21, 2025. Image: SpaceX The National Reconnaissance Office launched its eighth batch of satellites to support its proliferated architecture constellation. The mission includes a number of notable milestones for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket program, including a record-fast turnaround time for…
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Launch Roundup: Electron, Falcon 9, and Ceres-1 launches flying this week
The busy launch manifests of recent weeks are continuing, with Falcon 9, Electron, and Chinese rocket launches having taken place this week. SpaceX launched Starlink 12-25 and NROL-57 along with NROL-69, while Starlink 11-7 moved into next week. Rocket Lab’s Electron successfully launched from New Zealand on the heels of last week’s “The Lightning God…
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SpaceX launches Starshield satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from California for the NRO
File: The Falcon 9 at sunrise Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 as final preparations were made for the NROL-167 mission. Image: SpaceX. Update 10:37 a.m. EST (1537 UTC): The first stage booster successfully landed on the droneship. Before sunrise Tuesday morning, SpaceX completed its final mission supporting the National Reconnaissance Office in 2024. The Falcon 9…
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX plans for five customer missions; Rocket Lab launch mission for Synspective
The orbital launch manifest for the week of Dec. 16 through Dec. 22 has been one of the busiest yet, with 10 of the 12 planned launches worldwide succeeding. SpaceX planned to launch seven Falcon 9 missions this week, with five customer missions, one rideshare mission, and one Starlink mission. Outside of the U.S., three…
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SpaceX launches combination of NRO Starshield and Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 flight
Nine Merlin 1D engines power the Falcon 9 rocket into space on the NROL-126 mission. Image: SpaceX. Update 10:24 a.m. EST (1524 UTC) Nov. 30: Added post-launch statement from the NRO. SpaceX launched a mission early Saturday that blends national security satellites with those supporting its non-governmental Starlink satellite network. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex…
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Launch Roundup: ZhuQue-2E and Chang Zheng 12 take first flights; SpaceX launches classified mission
This week Landspace debuted the enhanced version of its ZhuQue-2 rocket and the Chang Zheng 12 rocket has also taken its maiden flight. Roscosmos has launched one of two planned Soyuz missions – the highly classified mission from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome has now been delayed until next week. In contrast, four Falcon 9 missions are…
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Starfish Space wins contract to help NRO advance capabilities for orbital operations
An artist’s conception shows Starfish Space’s Otter spacecraft in orbit with another satellite in the background. (Starfish Space Illustration) Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space and two other companies have won contracts from the National Reconnaissance Office, America’s spy satellite agency, to evaluate advanced technologies for space operations. Starfish’s work for the NRO will focus on potential…
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SpaceX launches 4th batch of Starshield satellites for the NRO on its 100th Falcon 9 rocket of 2024
The Falcon 9 at sunrise Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 as final preparations were made for the NROL-167 mission. Image: SpaceX. SpaceX launch its fourth mission of the year for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) carrying satellites for its so-called “proliferated architecture,” which are believed to be Starshield satellites. The mission, dubbed NROL-167, added an unspecified…