NROL-126: SpaceX Launches Next-gen US Spy Satellites, 20 Starlink Spacecraft

A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying 20 of the the company's Starlink broadband satellites lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East(SLC-4E) in California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 0810 UTC. The rocket also carried a set of satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), on the NROL-126 mission.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage (B1088) landed ~8 minutes after liftoff, on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

The NROL-126 spacecraft are reportedly based on SpaceX's Starlink satellite technology, with classified sensors attached. The functions and capabilities of NRO craft are classified.

Saturday's mission was the fifth launch to support the NRO's "proliferated architecture" which according to NROL-126 mission description, is a "new paradigm for assets the NRO is putting on orbit," which operates the nation's fleet of spy spacecraft. Those assets are "numerous, smaller satellites designed for capability and resilience." This is a break from the agency's traditional strategy, which relied on a few highly capable, but very expensive and difficult to replace satellites.