NROL-95: SpaceX Launches Classified US Spy Satellite

A SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket launched the NROL-95 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on Thursday (July 30), at 0710 UTC, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. This launch marked the NRO’s fourth national security mission of 2026 and the second conducted from Cape Canaveral in partnership with SpaceX.

The Falcon 9 first-stage booster, B1096 landed as planned about 8.5 minutes after liftoff, at Landing Zone 2, producing a sonic boom audible across Brevard County. B1096 completed its seventh flight, having previously flown missions including IMAP, CRS-34, NROL-77, GPS III-9, and Starlink deployments, acording to SpaceX mission description.

The broadcast of the second stage and payload deployment was restricted at the NRO's request. The payload is classified, with the NRO designing, building, and operating the satellite. The agency has revealed the NROL-95 mission patch. It depicts a snarling ferret with a nighttime sky in the background and the words "We are the Champions" on the emblem's lower border.

"The ferret, a clever creature, embodies agility and resilience — key traits for exploration. Its confident grin and bright eyes reflect a spirit of victory in a realm where determination meets adventure," NRO officials said in an NROL-95 mission description.

"The bold phrase 'We are the Champions' encapsulates the camaraderie and pride shared among those on this purposeful mission," they added.

The mission is part of the National Reconnaissance Office’s Proliferated Architecture program, which focuses on deploying numerous smaller, cost-effective satellites across multiple orbital planes to enhance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. 

Thurday's mission represents the third NRO launch for SpaceX under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 contract, awarded in August 2020.