SpaceX to launch Starshield satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from California for the NRO – Spaceflight Now

Update 7:24 a.m. EST (1224 UTC): Adjusted launch time; added information about the Falcon 9 first stage booster.

SpaceX is preparing for its final mission supporting the National Reconnaissance Office in 2024.

The NROL-149 mission is targeting liftoff on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at 5:19 a.m. PST (8:19 a.m. EST, 1319 UTC).

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about 30 minutes prior to liftoff.



The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, B1063, will be making its 22nd flight on this mission. It’s previous flights included NROL-113, NROL167, DART and 14 Starlink missions.

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1063 will touch down on the SpaceX droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ If successful, this will be the 114th booster landing on OCISLY and the 384th booster landing to date.

Onboard the rocket are an undisclosed number of satellites, which are believed to be Starshield, the government variant of the Starlink satellites.