NROL-77: SpaceX Launches Spy Satellite For The US Military

SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the National Reconnaissance Office Launch 77 (NROL-77) mission on Tuesday(Dec. 9), at 1916 UTC from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying a classified national security payload designed, built, and operated by the NRO, which is responsible for the United States’ reconnaissance satellite fleet.

About eight and a half minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first stage booster, B1096 executed a successful landing at LZ-2, marking the 16th touchdown at that site and the 547th booster landing in SpaceX’s history. B1096, which completed its fourth flight, have previously supported NASA’s IMAP mission, Amazon’s Kuiper Falcon 01, and a Starlink 6-87 mission.

The Falcon 9's upper stage deploy the NROL-77 payload less than an hour after launch, confirmed by the NRO. National security missions tend to be classified, and NROL-77 is no exception. The NRO's press release, says the mission "carries a national security payload designed, built and operated by NRO."

The NRO and U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) emphasized that this partnership strengthens national space superiority through innovative launch solutions and shared expertise, especially in an increasingly contested space environment.

The mission patch for NROL-77 features a flying squirrel symbolizing endurance and the gathering of foundational knowledge from space, with the motto “Another One Gone — Today, Tomorrow and Beyond.”

"The flying squirrel is a symbol of hard work and endurance — always active gathering foundational knowledge from the space domain for the nation and its allies," NRO officials wrote in the press release. "Every mission counts, every decision matters, and every advancement propels us further. 'Another One Gone — Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond' embodies the relentless pursuit of excellence."

NROL-77 was the third mission that SpaceX has launched this year for the NRO and U.S. Space Systems Command, according to the company; and it's the second NRO mission launched by SpaceX under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 contract awarded in August 2020, which allocates missions between SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA) over five order years.

This particular flight was part of Order Year 5, announced on October 31, 2023, and one of ten missions assigned to SpaceX that year with a combined value of $1.236 billion.

This launch was also the seventh Falcon 9 mission of 2025 carrying the “NROL-” designation, following previous flights such as NROL-153, NROL-57, NROL-69, NROL-192, NROL-145, and NROL-48. The NRO has also procured some missions outside the NSSL program, such as the NROL-174 mission launched on a Northrop Grumman Minotaur 4 rocket in April 2025, due to the need for a bridge between NSSL Phase 2 and Phase 3.

Tuesday's mission marked the final national security payload launch for the NRO in 2025 and the last Falcon 9 booster recovery at Landing Zone 2 (LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral, as SpaceX prepares to shift its recovery infrastructure to new landing sites due to the expiration of its lease at LZ-1 and LZ-2 by December 31, 2025.