All articles tagged with #nrol 172
SpaceX launched the US government’s spy satellites (NROL-172) from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base atop a Falcon 9, part of the NRO’s proliferated architecture to widen signals and imagery across multiple orbits; the first stage landed on a drone ship after liftoff, and SpaceX and Northrop Grumman-built satellites will expand the United States’ space surveillance capabilities.
SpaceX launched the NROL-172 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office from Vandenberg on a Falcon 9, with booster B1097 landing on the drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ about 8.5 minutes after liftoff. The NRO’s proliferated architecture uses hundreds of satellites—electro-optical, radar, and relay satellites—to boost revisit rates, coverage, and resilience, including inter-satellite optical communications as part of a future space-data network. The mission is part of the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 program, following earlier NROL flights (e.g., 145, 48, 105) and some procurements outside NSSL.
SpaceX plans a Falcon 9 liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Monday at 3:28 p.m. local time (backup window at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday) to deploy the NRO’s NROL-172 mission, with the first stage targeting a landing on the Pacific drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You.” A live webcast will be available at spacex.com/launches, and spectators can watch from viewing spots around Lompoc and the Harris Grade Road area; SpaceX also has additional Falcon launches from Vandenberg on May 15 and May 18. Delays are possible due to technical, weather, or scheduling factors.