SpaceX launches NRO spy satellites on June 19 mission
SpaceX launched NROL-179 for the NRO, deploying Starshield-like satellites; Falcon 9 booster B1103 landed at LZ-4.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 early Friday on a mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, sending an undisclosed number of intelligence-gathering satellites into orbit and marking the company’s third launch this year in support of the agency’s constellation.
The mission, designated NROL-179, lifted off from California at 1:50:45 a.m. PDT (4:50:45 a.m. EDT / 0850:45 UTC). According to the original mission report, the satellites were launched as part of what the NRO calls its proliferated architecture constellation.
The satellites are believed to be Starshield spacecraft, a government variant of SpaceX’s Starlink network, but that has not been confirmed on the record by either the NRO or SpaceX.
SpaceX flew the mission with Falcon 9 first stage booster B1103. The launch was the booster’s third flight after Starlink 17-35 and 17-42 in April and May.
Less than eight minutes after liftoff, the booster returned to California and landed at Landing Zone 4. The landing was the 35th at that site and the 626th booster landing for SpaceX overall.
The NROL-179 flight was SpaceX’s 14th launch supporting the NRO’s low Earth orbit constellation and the third of the year so far. The NRO has said it plans a large network, stating it envisions having "hundreds of small satellites on orbit" in order to "provide greater revisit rates Ian increased coverage. And even eliminate single points of failure."
The agency has not disclosed the intended size of the full constellation or many details about the network. It has said its Geospatial Intelligence Systems Acquisitions Directorate, or GEOINT, contributes components to the proliferated architecture.
"GEOINT’s contribution to the NRO’s proliferated architecture includes electro-optical, radar, and relay satellites", the NRO wrote in its prelaunch press kit. "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."
An update in the source report said that as of June 19, 6:11 a.m. EDT (1011 UTC), SpaceX had landed the booster at Landing Zone 4.
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