SpaceX Launches the NROL-85 Mission

NROL-85 Launch | Credit: SpaceX

On Sunday, April 17 at 9:13am EDT (13:13 UTC, 6:13am PDT), SpaceX launched the NROL-87 satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenburg Space Force Base in California. NROL-87 is believed to be a naval reconnaissance satellite. The first stage for this mission (B1071), which previously flew on NROL-87, landed on Landing Zone 4 for the 125th Falcon recovery attempt. This was the 41st orbital launch attempt of 2022, 157th SpaceX mission, and the 149th Falcon 9 launch.