SpaceX efficiently launched a spy satellite tv for pc for the U.S. Nationwide Reconnaissance Workplace (NRO) on the morning of Sunday, April 17.
The NROL-85 mission launched from the Vandenberg House Power Base in California at 6:13 a.m. PT (9:13 a.m. ET).
The early phases of the flight had been livestreamed on SpaceX’s YouTube channel. Whereas SpaceX normally shares footage of the particular satellite tv for pc deployment, the categorised nature of this mission meant the printed ended earlier than deployment.
Nonetheless, the footage included the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket over California:
We additionally obtained to see stage separation and the ignition of the second stage engine, which occurred about two-and-a-half minutes into the flight:
About eight minutes after launch, the first-stage booster made an ideal landing again at Vandenberg House Power Base, paving the way in which for one more mission utilizing the identical booster.
The mission marked the 114th profitable restoration of a Falcon 9 first-stage booster, and the NRO’s fourth launch utilizing a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It was additionally the primary time for an NRO satellite tv for pc to fly on a used rocket after the Falcon 9 booster beforehand supported the NROL-87 mission in February 2022.
Commenting on Sunday’s launch, Col. Chad Davis, the NRO’s director of the Workplace of House Launch, said in a launch: “All launches are thrilling, however this one, with our first-ever reuse of a booster, is a hanging indication of how NRO is constructing innovation and resiliency into every little thing we do.”
Davis added: “Reusing the booster reveals we’re persevering with to push the boundaries of what’s doable whereas delivering better worth. It reduces our prices, which displays our dedication to utilizing taxpayer {dollars} responsibly. This can be a nice instance of how the NRO is working to be a frontrunner in house stewardship.”
Sunday’s launch was SpaceX’s 14th orbital mission of 2022, with the California-headquartered firm trying more and more prone to coast previous its personal report of 31 launches achieved final yr.
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