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SpaceX is launching more satellites for the increasing NRO constellation

WASHINGTON – A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the NROL-167 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office on Oct. 24.

The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 1:13 p.m. Eastern time.

NROL-167 was the fourth group of satellites in a new imaging satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. The number of satellites on this mission has not been disclosed.

The NRO is working to quickly deploy a new satellite network that will track ground targets in near real time.

After stage separation, the first stage of the Falcon 9 landed on a drone ship stationed in the Pacific.

The NRO designs and operates secret U.S. government surveillance and intelligence satellites. SpaceX launched the first three batches of the agency's proliferated constellation into low Earth orbit in May, June and September.

The completion of four launches in just five months underscores the rapid pace of deployment of this program, which the NRO says is the U.S. government's largest satellite constellation in history.

Additional launches supporting NRO's widely used architecture are expected through 2028.

Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, politics, technology and the industry that supports the sector. As editor of NDIA's National Defense, she has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades. More from Sandra Erwin

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