Watch the Launch

Additional Media

SpaceX - Falcon 9 - NROL-146 - SLC-4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA. - May 22, 2024

Launch Date: May 22, 2024 Launch Time: 1:00 a.m. PDT, 4:00 a.m. EDT, 0800 UTC, 10:00 CESTLaunch Window: Opens May 22, 1:00 a.m. PDT / Closes 3:28 a.m. PDT L...

Watch live: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches on a mission for the U.S. spy satellite agency

Watch live coverage as SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket thought to be carrying an undisclosed number of Starshield satellites for the U.S. National Reconnai...

NROL-146 Mission

Livestream on X

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

NROL-146

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Low Earth Orbit Space Launch Complex 4E Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
B1071 - Of Course I Still Love You

First batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities.

Telemetry

Launch trajectory and telemetry simulations provided by Flight Club - a rocket launch simulator and orbital trajectory visualiser for all things space!

Updates

Nosu • May 22, 2024, 11:08 a.m.

Launch success confirmed


Cosmic_Penguin • May 22, 2024, 8:01 a.m.

Liftoff.


LL2 • May 22, 2024, 7:46 a.m.

Unofficial Webcast by SPACE AFFAIRS has started


Cosmic_Penguin • May 20, 2024, 11:52 p.m.

GO for launch.


Cosmic_Penguin • May 20, 2024, 4:49 a.m.

NET May 22.


Falcon 9

Family:
Configuration: Block 5

Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    70.0 m
  • Diameter
    3.65 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.2 m
  • Launch Mass
    549.0 T
  • Thrust
    7607.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Falcon 9
  • Family
  • Variant
    Block 5
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Falcon 9 Block 5
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $52000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    22800.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    8300.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Booster Info


B1071

Status: Active


Type: Core
Flight Proven: Yes
First Flight: February 2, 2022
Last Flight: July 11, 2026
Flights: 35
Landings Attempted: 35
Landings Successful: 35
Previous B1071 Flights

Landing Information

The Falcon 9 first stage B1071 has landed on ASDS OCISLY after its 16th flight.

Result: Successful Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship landing at Of Course I Still Love You.

SpaceX

SpaceX

(SpX)

CEO: Elon Musk Founded: 2002 Successes: 692 Failures: 15 Pending: 128

Agency Type:

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.

INFO WIKI

Related News

Arstechnica

Rocket Report: SpaceX focused on Starship reentry; Firefly may be for sale

"Teams are in the process of completing a follow-on propulsion system assessment."

SpaceNews

SpaceX launches NRO’s first batch of next-generation spy satellites

The classified mission, designated NROL-146, was SpaceX’s 52nd launch of the year

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: Starliner delays second launch attempt; Falcon 9 to launch first batch into new spy constellation

For the second week, all eyes are on the forthcoming maiden crewed flight test (CFT) of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The first attempt was stood down last Monday following concerns with a liquid oxygen relief valve on the Centaur second …

SpaceNews

NRO’s first batch of next-generation spy satellites set for launch

The agency’s principal deputy director Troy Meink said the NRO is targeting a May 19 launch of NROL-146

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Space Launch Complex 4E


Long March 3B/E
Success
7 hours, 9 minutes ago
Tianlian 2-06
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Tianlian is a Chinese data tracking and relay communications geostationary satellite series. The TL 2 (Tian Lian 2) satellites represent the second g…


Gravity-1
Success
1 day, 16 hours ago
9 satellites
Yellow Sea (launch location 5) - Haiyang Oriental Spaceport

Carried 9 satellites on a share-ride to sun-synchronous orbit. Details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 21 hours ago
MRV-1
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

The Northrop Grumman/SpaceLogistics MRV-1 is a mission extension payload including a mission robotic vehicle (MRV) and multiple mission extension pod…


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 4 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-39
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1b
Success
3 days, 22 hours ago
16 x Rassvet-3
Unknown Pad - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identities uncertain. Batch of 16 Rassvet-3 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Russian Byuro-1440 (Bureau 1440) conste…


Vikram-I
Success
5 days, 12 hours ago
Demo Flight
Satish Dhawan Space Centre First Launch Pad - Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India

First launch of Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-I launch vehicle. This first launch will carry 4 payloads: - Grahaa Space's SOLARAS S3 satellite - C…


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 22 hours ago
SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Tranche 1 Transport Layer E is one of six missions by the United States Space Force Space Development Agency (SDA) for the Proliferated Warfighter Sp…


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Soyuz MS-29
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Soyuz MS-29 will carry three cosmonauts and one astronaut to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Starlink Group 10-45
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Starlink Group 15-14
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.