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Watch Live: SpaceX launches reconnaissance satellites for NRO on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB

Watch live coverage as SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket from California with an undisclosed number of reconnaissance satellites for the United States' National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and its proliferated architecture satellite constellation. These are believed to be Starshield satellites, a government variant of the Starlink satellites. Liftoff from Space …

NROL-105 Mission

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SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

NROL-105

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Unknown
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Unknown Space Launch Complex 4E Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA Probability: 100%
B1100 - Landing Zone 4

Twelfth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities.

Telemetry

Launch trajectory and telemetry simulations provided by Flight Club - a rocket launch simulator and orbital trajectory visualiser for all things space!

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • Jan. 17, 2026, 7:03 a.m.

Launch success.


Cosmic_Penguin • Jan. 17, 2026, 4:40 a.m.

Liftoff.


LL2 • Jan. 17, 2026, 4:26 a.m.

Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started


Cosmic_Penguin • Jan. 17, 2026, 2:38 a.m.

Now targeting Jan 17 at 04:39 UTC


Cosmic_Penguin • Jan. 16, 2026, 10:13 p.m.

Now targeting Jan 17 at 04:25 UTC


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


B1100

Status: Active


Type: Core
Flight Proven: Yes
First Flight: November 23, 2025
Last Flight: January 17, 2026
Flights: 2
Landings Attempted: 2
Landings Successful: 2
Previous B1100 Flights

Landing Information

The Falcon 9 first stage B1100 has landed on Landing Zone 4 after its 2nd flight.

Result: Successful Return to Launch Site landing at Landing Zone 4.

SpaceX

SpaceX

(SpX)

CEO: Elon Musk Founded: 2002 Successes: 617 Failures: 15 Pending: 123

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

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