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Watch the Launch

Additional Media

NROL-108 Mission

SpaceX is now targeting Saturday, December 19 for launch of the NROL-108 mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Saturday’s three-hour launch window opens at 9:00 a....

NROL-108 Mission

SpaceX is targeting Thursday, December 17 at 9:45 a.m. EST for launch of the NROL-108 mission, which will launch from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Friday’s three-hour ...

NROL-108

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Low Earth Orbit Launch Complex 39A Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA Probability: 90%
B1059 - Landing Zone 1

Classified payload for NRO.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 18, 2020, 5:23 a.m.

Pushed back another 24 hours.


Nosu • Dec. 17, 2020, 4:13 p.m.


SwGustav • Dec. 17, 2020, 1:04 p.m.

updating T-0



Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 14, 2020, 7:12 a.m.

Confirmed launch time backed up by marine closure notices.


Falcon 9

Family:
Configuration: Block 5

Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    70.0 m
  • Diameter
    3.65 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.2 m
  • Launch Mass
    549.0 T
  • Thrust
    7607.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Falcon 9
  • Family
    ―
  • Variant
    Block 5
  • Alias
    ―
  • Full Name
    Falcon 9 Block 5
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $52000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    22800.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    8300.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
    ―
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    ―

Booster Info


B1059

Status: Lost


Type: Core
Flight Proven: Yes
First Flight: December 5, 2019
Last Flight: February 16, 2021
Flights: 6
Landings Attempted: 6
Landings Successful: 5
Previous B1059 Flights

Landing Information

B1059 has successfully landed back at LZ-1 after its fifth launch.

Result: Successful Return to Launch Site landing at Landing Zone 1.

SpaceX

SpaceX

(SpX)

CEO: Elon Musk Founded: 2002 Successes: 715 Failures: 15 Pending: 129

Agency Type:

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.

INFO WIKI
Teslarati

SpaceX celebrates five years of rocket landings with a record streak of success

As SpaceX closes out a halcyon year, today marks the fifth anniversary of the first Falcon booster landing and the company is...

SpaceNews

SpaceX wraps up 2020 with Falcon 9 launch of classified NRO satellite

A Falcon 9 carrying the NROL-108 mission lifted off at Dec. 19 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern from Space Launch Complex 39 at Kennedy Space Center.

Spaceflight Now

SpaceX scrubs Falcon 9 launch to assess second stage issue

SpaceX scrubbed a Falcon 9 launch attempt Thursday to evaluate a “slightly high” pressure reading in the rocket’s upper stage liquid oxygen tank, and officials tentatively rescheduled the company’s final mission of the year for Friday morn…

NASA Spaceflight

SpaceX completes 2020 manifest with covert flight for NRO

Rounding off a record-breaking and historic launch manifest for 2020, SpaceX conduct its second dedicated launch for the United States National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on Saturday – following a scrub on Thursday – with a flight-proven …

Spaceflight Now

NRO using SpaceX’s commercial launch service for spy satellite payload

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to take off Thursday from Florida’s Space Coast with a classified cargo for the National Reconnaissance Office, which broke with standard practice to procure the payload’s launch commercially, outside …

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39A


Long March 6A
Success
18 hours, 40 minutes ago
Yaogan 40 Group 04
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

3 Chinese reconnaissance satellites of unknown purposes, officially reported as for "Electromagnetic environment probing".


Long March 8A
Success
1 day, 13 hours ago
SatNet LEO Group 26
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Kinetica 1
Success
4 days, 23 hours ago
9 satellites
Launch Area 130 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Share-ride of 9 commercial Earth observation and technology demonstration satellites to SSO, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 1 hour ago
Starlink Group 15-27
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 2D
Success
5 days, 16 hours ago
PIESAT-2 13-16
Launch Complex 9 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

4 X-band synthetic-aperture radar Earth observation satellites for the Chinese Earth observation satellite company PIESAT.


Electron
Success
6 days ago
Owl By The Dozen (StriX Launch 12)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.


Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Success
1 week ago
Glonass-K1 No. 20 (?)
43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Satellite serial number and Cosmos designation not confirmed. Glonass-K are the third generation of satellite design for GLONASS satellite n…


Kuaizhou 11
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
SpaceTY-51 & 52
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

2 Earth observation radar satellites built by the Chinese satellite manufacturer SpaceTY.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
USSF-259
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

USSF-259 is a classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield …


Long March 12
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
SatNet LEO Group 25
Commercial LC-2 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…