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: 604 Failures: 15 Pending: 115

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

Related News

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


Ariane 62
Success
22 hours, 14 minutes ago
Galileo L14 (FOC FM33 & FM34)
Ariane Launch Area 4 - Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Payload consists of two satellites for Europe's Galileo navigation system.


Atlas V 551
Success
1 day, 18 hours ago
Amazon Leo (LA-04)
Space Launch Complex 41 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Amazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper, is a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit that will offer broadband internet access, thi…


Long March 4B
Success
1 day, 23 hours ago
Ziyuan-3-04
Launch Complex 9 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

The ZY-3 (Ziyuan-3, 'Resource-3') series represents China's first high-resolution, stereoscopic mapping satellites for civilian use. The second sa…


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 21 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-82
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 21 hours ago
Starlink Group 15-12
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.


Electron
Success
4 days ago
Raise and Shine (RAISE-4)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

RAISE-4 (RApid Innovative payload demonstration Satellite-4) is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) satellite for on-orbit demonstrations of …


Kuaizhou 11
Success
5 days, 2 hours ago
DEAR-5
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

DEAR-5 is a commercial in-orbit payload and micro-gravity experiments hosting spacecraft developed by Chinese commercial company AZSPACE for various …


Long March 12
Success
6 days, 4 hours ago
SatNet LEO Group 16
Commercial LC-2 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

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


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 5 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-90
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 15-11
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.