SpaceX will launch a secret payload for the U.S. military today (Dec. 9), and you can watch the action live.
The NRO, which is part of the Department of Defense, operates the United States’ fleet of spy satellites.
Those spacecraft and their missions tend to be classified, and NROL-77 is no exception. The NRO’s press kit, which you can find here, says the mission “carries a national security payload designed, built and operated by NRO.”
There are no details, though the kit does reveal that the mission patch features a flying squirrel, along with the words “Another One Gone — Today, Tomorrow and Beyond’.”
“The flying squirrel is a symbol of hard work and endurance — always active gathering foundational knowledge from the space domain for the nation and its allies,” NRO officials wrote in the press kit. “Every mission counts, every decision matters, and every advancement propels us further. ‘Another One Gone — Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond’ embodies the relentless pursuit of excellence.”
NROL-77 will be the third mission SpaceX launches this year for the NRO and U.S. Space Systems Command, according to the company. However, it will be the seventh Falcon 9 flight of 2025 that carries the “NROL-” prefix. The others — NROL-153, NROL-57, NROL-69, NROL-192, NROL-145 and NROL-48 — launched between January and September.
If all goes to plan today, the Falcon 9’s first stage will make a landing back at Cape Canaveral about 8.5 minutes after launch. It will be the fourth mission for this particular booster, which is designated 1096.
We don’t know when and where the Falcon 9’s upper stage will deploy NROL-77’s payload(s). SpaceX’s mission description doesn’t provide that information, and, if history is any guide, the company will likely cut its webcast off after booster landing.
