Launch

SpaceX launches next-gen US spy satellites on 100th Falcon 9 flight of the year (video, photos)

Space.com October 25, 2024 2 min read

SpaceX launches next-gen US spy satellites on 100th Falcon 9 flight of the year (video, photos)_671ab3a0aa868.jpeg

SpaceX launches next-gen US spy satellites on 100th Falcon 9 flight of the year (video, photos) (Image Credit: Space.com)

SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket just hit the century mark for the year.

A Falcon 9 launched a batch of next-gen spy satellites for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) today (Oct. 24) from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base at 1:13 p.m. EDT (1713 GMT; 10:13 a.m. local time).

The clandestine mission, known as NROL-167, was the 100th Falcon 9 liftoff of 2024.

a black and white rocket launches into a clear blue sky from a seaside pad — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the NROL-167 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Oct. 24, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

The Falcon 9’s first stage came back to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff today as planned. It touched down on the SpaceX droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The company ended its launch webcast shortly thereafter, at the request of the NRO.

It was the 21st launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.

Related: SpaceX launches next-gen US spy satellites and sticks landing

NROL-167 was the fourth launch supporting the NRO’s “proliferated architecture,” a constellation consisting of “numerous, smaller satellites designed for capability and resilience,” according to the agency. We don’t know much about these spacecraft or their activities, which isn’t surprising; NRO satellites’ work tends to be classified.

The first three proliferated architecture missions also took flight on Falcon 9s — NROL-146 in May, NROL-186 in June and NROL-113 in September. (This same Falcon 9 first stage lofted NROL-113, according to SpaceX.)

a black and white rocket rests on the deck of a ship at sea on a cloudy day — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a drone ship at sea shortly after launching the NROL-167 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Oct. 24, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

NROL-167 was SpaceX’s 105th rocket launch of 2024 overall. In addition to the Falcon 9 flights, the company has launched two Falcon Heavy missions and three test flights of its Starship megarocket.

The most recent Falcon Heavy launch, on Oct. 14, sent NASA’s Europa Clipper probe toward the Jupiter system. The most recent Starship test flight occurred a day earlier and featured an unprecedented catch of the vehicle’s first-stage booster by the “chopstick” arms of the launch tower.

Every launch from here on out will add to SpaceX’s record total for the year. The company’s previous high mark was 98 liftoffs, set in 2023.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 1:35 p.m. ET on Oct. 24 with news of successful launch and rocket landing.