SpaceX launches first national security mission of 2026 - VIDEO
SpaceX launched its first national security mission of the year on Friday night (Jan. 16), sending a batch of U.S. spy satellites into orbit from California.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:39 p.m. EST (8:39 p.m. local time; 0439 GMT on Jan. 17), initiating the mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) known as NROL-105, News.Az reports, citing Space.com.
NROL-105 marks the 12th launch dedicated to expanding the NRO’s "proliferated architecture," a new reconnaissance satellite constellation designed to prioritize flexibility, rapid deployment, cost efficiency, and resilience.
"Having hundreds of small satellites on orbit is invaluable to the NRO's mission," NRO Director Chris Scolese said in the NROL-105 press kit, which you can find here.
"They will provide greater revisit rates, increased coverage, more timely delivery of information — and ultimately help us deliver more of what our customers need even faster," he added.
#BREAKING: SpaceX Falcon 9 launches a top-secret NRO reconnaissance mission, likely carrying Starshield satellites, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. pic.twitter.com/ldVTYGujAe
— Intel Net (@IntelNet) January 17, 2026
The proliferated architecture satellites are built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. All of them have reached orbit aboard Falcon 9 rockets launching from Vandenberg. The first such mission, NROL-146, lifted off in May 2024.
The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth safely on Friday, touching down at Vandenberg about 7.5 minutes after liftoff. It was the second launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.
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