Tag: Starshield
-
NRO, SpaceX launch reconnaissance satellites from Vandenberg
A long exposure shot showing the ascent of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East and the return of the booster, 1100, to Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base during the NROL-105 mission on Jan. 16, 2026. Image: SpaceX Update Jan. 17, 12 a.m. EST (0500 UTC): SpaceX landed its…
-
US spy satellites built by SpaceX send signals in the “wrong direction”
About 170 Starshield satellites built by SpaceX for the US government’s National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) have been sending signals in the wrong direction, a satellite researcher found. The SpaceX-built spy satellites are helping the NRO greatly expand its satellite surveillance capabilities, but the purpose of these signals is unknown. The signals are sent from space…
-
SpaceX launches third NRO mission in eight days
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base ahead of the launch of the NROL-145 mission. Image: SpaceX Update April 20, 9 a.m. EDT: SpaceX landed the booster on the droneship. America’s spy satellite agency, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), launched its third mission in eight…
-
SpaceX starts 2025 with Falcon records and Starship problems
SpaceX kicked off 2025 by continuing its record-breaking pace of Falcon 9 launches while also setting new firsts with its Dragon program. The company continued the deployment of its Starlink satellite internet constellation, growing in number of users and availability of its direct-to-cell services. SpaceX’s Starship rocket also suffered two back-to-back failures of a new…
-
SpaceX launches Starshield satellites for the NRO on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on April 12, 2025, carrying satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. Image: SpaceX. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) launched its ninth mission supporting its so-called proliferated architecture satellite constellation using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission, dubbed NROL-192, also marked a big milestone…
-
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…
-
SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX rocket ascends from Space Launch Complex 40 on the Starlink 12-20 mission on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Image: Spaceflight Now SpaceX launched its first Falcon 9 rocket of the month and its first Starlink flight since reportedly reaching 5 million subscribers for the satellite internet service on Sunday night. Liftoff of the Starlink…
-
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…
-
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…
-
NRO chief: “You can’t hide” from our new swarm of SpaceX-built spy satellites
The director of the National Reconnaissance Office has a message for US adversaries around the world. “You can’t hide, because we’re constantly looking,” said Chris Scolese, a longtime NASA engineer who took the helm of the US government’s spy satellite agency in 2019. The NRO is taking advantage of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite assembly line to…