SpaceX Launches Eighth NRO Satellite Group, Sets New Falcon 9 Booster Record

SpaceX's Falcon 9 launches NRO's eighth satellite group, achieving record and expanding the constellation.

As part of its increased architectural constellation, the National Reconnaissance Office launched its eighth group of satellites. Among the many noteworthy firsts for SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket program, the mission included a record-breaking turnaround time for its booster. An unknown number of satellites, thought to be Starshield, a government version of the Starlink satellites manufactured by SpaceX in collaboration with Northrop Grumman, were carried by the rocket.

At 11:49 p.m. PDT on March 20, the spacecraft lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base's Space Launch Complex 4 East. After NROL-153 in January, this was the second launch this year that supported the architecture. The number of satellites on each of these proliferated architecture flights is not disclosed by SpaceX or the NRO. The NRO stated that it wants to have "hundreds of small satellites" in low Earth orbit to oppose this constellation.

With more launches planned through 2029, the NRO said in a statement that it is working to develop and maintain the largest government satellite network in history. The NRO emphasized how important it is for the country and its partners to have hundreds of its satellites in orbit.  

These satellites will offer improved revisit rates, broader coverage, quicker data delivery, and ultimately enable faster fulfillment of customer needs. According to an NRO representative, over half of the agency's twelve launches on its 2025 manifest support the constellation of proliferated architectures. The NRO announced three further proliferated architecture releases for this year in a launch press kit. NROL-192, NROL-48, and NROL-145 are those.