SpaceX launches spy satellites in California for National Reconnaissance Office
April 12 (UPI) -- SpaceX on Saturday launched Starshield satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office from California, hours after the private agency scrubbed a launch of Starlink satellites from Florida.
The Falcon 9 lifted off at 5:25 a.m. PDT from Vandenberg Space Force Base's pad 4E. The number of spy satellites wasn't revealed.
The launch is NRO's ninth mission supporting its proliferated architecture satellite constellation using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX has launched more than 150 satellites for the NRO with plans to continue launching them through 2029, including a dozen this year.
It is "the largest and most capable government constellation on orbit in our nation's history,"according to an NRO news release.
The secretive mission was called NROL-192. It was the 24th flight for the first-stage booster, which has included 14 Starlink missions and three for NRO. The first stage landed minutes later on Of Course I Still Love You drone ship in the Pacific Ocean near Long Beach.
Further launch dates haven't been announced. Aside from SpaceX, the NRO satellites also can be launched aboard United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket and Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. ULA has been certified for national security missions and Blue Origin is awaiting government certification.
Eleven months ago, NRO began deploying "the world's most capable, resilient, and technologically advanced satellite constellation," according to NRO Director Chris Scolese.
"This enhanced constellation is already shortening revisit times and increasing observational persistence; delivering enhanced coordination; and empowering faster data processing, fusion, and transmission speeds," Scolese said this week. "All with greater resilience and security.
"Most profoundly, we're making it harder for our adversaries to hide, while reducing time to insights for our customers from minutes to seconds -- strengthening national security with improved prospects for lethality, when it's necessary," he said.
The Starshield satellites are a government-specific variation of Space X's Starlink satellites.
NRO was formed in 1962 to serve U.S. intelligence, military, civil, and allied partners. The agency partners with the U.S. Space Force Launch Delta 30 for the launches.
SpaceX last launched 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenburg's pad 4E on Monday.
Starlink
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 21 more Starlink satellites late Saturday after two flights were scrubbed.
Liftoff is set for 8:53 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A. The launch window is until 12:42 a.m. Sunday.
SpaceX didn't give a reason for the postponed flights on Thursday night and early Saturday.
There have been weather concerns in the area.
Another SpaceX launch is scheduled for no earlier than 9:59 p.m. Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40.
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