SpaceX launches Falcon 9 carrying classified US intelligence satellites VIDEO

The US company SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying satellites for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), according to a livestream of the mission on X.

The launch took place as part of the NROL-179 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 01:50 local time, Caliber.Az reports. 

Watch Falcon 9 launch the @NRO_gov’s NROL-179 mission from pad 4E in California https://t.co/MyjE8pAve9

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 19, 2026

It marks SpaceX’s third launch for US intelligence purposes in 2026. Earlier NRO missions this year included NROL-172 in May and NROL-105 in January.

The National Reconnaissance Office, which oversees the United States’ reconnaissance satellite programme, operates under strict classification, and details about its payloads are not publicly disclosed.

Spaceflight Now suggested that the satellites launched in this mission are likely Starshield satellites, though neither the NRO nor SpaceX has confirmed this.

By Sabina Mammadli