Reside protection: SpaceX to launch intelligence-gathering satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX is getting ready to launch its third mission this yr supporting the National Reconnaissance Office’s constellation of intelligence-gathering satellites.

The mission, dubbed NROL-179, will launch an undisclosed variety of satellites into orbit as a part of what the NRO calls its proliferated structure constellation. These are believed to be Starshield satellites, a authorities variant of SpaceX’s Starlink, although neither the NRO nor SpaceX has confirmed on the report that that is the case.

Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from pad is scheduled throughout a 35-minute window that opens at Friday, June 19, at 1:40 a.m. PDT (4:40 a.m. EDT / 0840 UTC).

Spaceflight Now can have stay protection starting about half-hour previous to liftoff.



SpaceX will launch the mission utilizing the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail quantity B1103. This might be its third flight following the launches of Starlink 17-35 and 17-42 in April and May respectively.

Fewer than eight minutes after liftoff, B1103 will return to California for landing at Landing Zone 4. If profitable, this would be the thirty fifth touchdown at that web site and the 626th booster touchdown for SpaceX thus far.

This might be SpaceX’s 14th launch supporting the NRO’s low Earth orbit constellation and the third of the yr up to now. The NRO mentioned it envisions having “hundreds of small satellites on orbit” to be able to “provide greater revisit rates Ian increased coverage. And even eliminate single points of failure.”

The company hasn’t disclosed the specified measurement of the constellation or many particulars in regards to the scope of the community. It has mentioned that it’s Geospatial Intelligence Systems Acquisitions Directorate (GEOINT) does contribute parts to the proliferated structure.

“GEOINT’s contribution to the NRO’s proliferated architecture includes electro-optical, radar, and relay satellites,” the NRO wrote in its prelaunch press equipment. “Additionally, these relay satellites enable inter-satellite optical communications and serve as a key component of the NRO’s resilient communications architecture as well as the Department of War’s (DoW) upcoming Space-Data Network.”