SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Saturday, November 30, 2024, carrying multiple U.S. surveillance satellites.
Starting at 3:10 am EST, there is a four-hour launch window during which the NROL-126 mission is expected to take off. The Falcon 9 will also transport 20 Starlink broadband satellites, which are owned by SpaceX, in addition to the spying satellites.
This is the fifth mission that SpaceX has completed in aid of the NRO. The NROL-126 mission follows the NRO’s “proliferated architecture,” which is a plan that boosts capabilities and resilience through the use of smaller satellites.
When the Falcon 9 lands around 62 minutes after takeoff, it will likely place the Starlink satellites into a low Earth orbit. Just eight minutes after liftoff, the first stage of the rocket will make its way back to Earth, touching down on the SpaceX drone ship that is currently positioned in the Pacific Ocean. No information has been made public on the exact timing of the NRO satellites‘ separation from the rocket’s upper stage.
Starting around five to fifteen minutes prior to liftoff, SpaceX usually begins streaming its launches live on X (previously Twitter). It is unclear from the NROL-126 mission description if a webcast of the launch will be accessible.
SpaceX’s 2024 NRO Launches Strengthen National Security
This mission builds on four previous NRO proliferated architecture launches conducted aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets earlier this year:
- NROL-146: May 2024
- NROL-186: June 2024
- NROL-113: September 2024
- NROL-167: October 2024
SpaceX’s ongoing partnership with the NRO highlights the increasing dependence on commercial spaceflight for national security operations.
