According to the report, the Falcon 9 rocket launched the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)’s NROL-149 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 8:19 am EST on December 17. This flight carried a next generation of spy satellites designed for the intelligence needs of the United States. The reusable first stage booster successfully landed on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean, marking the 384th recovery of SpaceX’s orbital-class rocket. According to mission details shared by SpaceX, it was the company’s 127th launch of the year.
Mission and payload details
The NROL-149 mission is described as part of a broader initiative by NRO to deploy “proliferated architecture” satellites, described in earlier mission updates as small, flexible spacecraft equipped with advanced reconnaissance capabilities. According to sources, these satellites are believed to be based on SpaceX’s Starlink platform but modified for intelligence purposes, aimed at enhancing national security operations. NRO confirmed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that this launch concluded its eighth and final mission for 2024.
Booster reuse and flight history
According to sources, the Falcon 9 booster used in this mission has flown twice before, deploying other NRO satellites (NROL-113 and NROL-167) and NASA’s DART asteroid impact mission. This successful recovery again highlights SpaceX’s commitment to reusability. Details regarding the deployment of the NROL-149 payload are unknown due to the classified nature of national security missions.
A year of prosperous architectural missions
According to reports, this is the sixth Extended Architecture mission for NRO this year, with previous launches – NROL-146, NROL-186, NROL-113, NROL-167, and NROL-126 – also using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Have been. The series represents a shift toward deploying multiple small satellites to improve flexibility and capability in space-based intelligence, although official details are classified.
