NRO Set for Major Satellite Launch with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, California — The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is gearing up for its ninth satellite launch, utilizing a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This mission, known as NROL-192, will take place on Saturday, April 12, at 5:25 a.m. PDT (8:25 a.m. EDT, 1225 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East.

This launch marks a significant milestone for SpaceX, as it represents the 400th flight of a previously flown Falcon booster. The Falcon 9 booster designated B1071 will be used for the 24th time during this mission. Having supported four prior NRO missions alongside three rideshare missions and 14 Starlink flights, B1071 is scheduled to return to Earth approximately eight minutes post-launch, targeting the droneship ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’

According to NRO Director Chris Scolese, this mission advances what he described as “the world’s most capable, resilient, and technologically advanced satellite constellation” deployed by the agency. This constellation is expected to enhance the NRO’s capabilities in reconnaissance, surveillance, and intelligence gathering, consisting of what are believed to be Starshield satellites—a government variant of SpaceX’s Starlink.

In a video statement released on April 8, Scolese highlighted the implications of the enhanced constellation, referring to the earlier NROL-146 mission as a new standard for data collection and speed. “This enhanced constellation is already shortening revisit times and increasing observational persistence; delivering enhanced coordination; and empowering faster data processing, fusion, and transmission speeds,” said Scolese.

Scolese explained that the new system makes it more difficult for adversaries to conceal activities while minimizing the time it takes for customers to gain insights from minutes to seconds. He noted the NRO’s plan to increase its launch cadence, with the next two missions planned within a week of each other in April.

Besides NROL-192, the agency is set to launch NROL-145 just seven days later on April 19. In addition, another classified mission utilizing a Northrop Grumman-built Minotaur 4 rocket is scheduled for April 16, further underscoring the NRO’s ambition to enhance its operational capabilities through a diversified launch approach.

“As we strengthen our partnerships across the whole of the government, commercial space enterprises, and academia, we are increasingly benefiting from world-class expertise in areas such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity,” Scolese added.

Through the previous eight missions of this satellite constellation, the NRO has procured over 150 satellites from SpaceX. Future missions, including NROL-48, are planned through 2029. The choice of rocket provider for these upcoming missions is still under consideration, with potential launches on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan or Blue Origin’s New Glenn once they achieve government certification.

SpaceX’s ongoing efforts also include a future launch from Cape Canaveral to deploy the Telstar 18 VANTAGE communications satellite, alongside handling recent scrubs and investigations related to anomalies during past launch attempts.