SpaceX successfully launches Falcon 9 rocket

The NROL-85 satellite lifted off from launch pad 4E at 6:13AM aboard a two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The NRO is the government agency in charge of developing, building, launching and maintaining US satellites that provide intelligence data to senior policymakers, the intelligence community and the defence department.

The Falcon 9 was developed by SpaceX to be the first orbital-class rocket capable of launching multiple missions to drive down costs.

The Falcon rocket’s first stage flew back and landed at the seaside base northwest of Los Angeles.

The first stage took off towards the south boosting the upper stage of the rocket and the NRO payload on its way into the upper atmosphere.

The booster rocket began to fall away two and a half minutes after launch, and it flipped around using three engines to change course back to Earth. It utilised cold gas nitrogen thrusters as well as these three engines. It touched down on Landing Zone 4 just eight minutes after lift-off, completing its second trip to space.

The rocket stage debuted in February with another launch for the NRO.

A final braking burn by the rocket’s central engine slowed the booster for touchdown, and the rocket extended four telescoping carbon-fibre legs seconds before its landing.

The landing was SpaceX’s 114^th successful booster recovery.

The upper stage of the Falcon 9 delivered its secret cargo to a preliminary orbit less than 10 minutes after launch.

Unable to discuss the specifics of the launch, the NRO has confirmed it has more than six launched schedules and 12 payloads planned for orbit in 2022. It also confirmed that NRO is the only organisation launching as part of the NROL-85 mission.

Before the launch on Sunday, there was a broad consensus from experts and independent analysts that the NROL-85 mission will add two spacecraft top the US government’s naval reconnaissance satellite fleet.

SpaceX have not revealed any details on the classified payloads other than stating how the second stage rocket reached orbit.

“Launching a payload into orbit is the most dynamic aspect of the NRO’s mission, but the work that happens behind the scenes–designing, building, and operating our architecture in space–is no less critical to our mission of securing and expanding America’s intelligence advantage,” said NRO Director Dr. Chris Scolese.

“I'm proud of the teamwork, skill and determination that went into making this launch a success and ultimately to delivering critical information to our nation's policymakers, military, and intelligence community,” Scolese added.

The launch was one of three awarded by the Air Force to SpaceX in 2019 for a combined fixed price of $297m. officials disclosed the NROL-95 mission would aim to place its payloads into an orbit between 1,024 and 1,221km in altitude, with an inclination of 63.5 degrees to the equator.