A Falcon 9 rocket added satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) early Friday morning, rattling windows while rising away from Vandenberg Space Force Base and returning minutes later.
The two-stage rocket built by SpaceX lifted off at 1:50 a.m. from Space Launch Complex-4 on South Base.
Less than eight minutes later, the first-stage booster returned to Vandenberg for its third landing.
NRO officials later declared the mission successful, but remained mum about the number of satellites on board and their purpose.
“The NRO is delivering a never-before-seen level of persistence, timeliness, and resilience – a clear information advantage to stakeholders,” an NRO social media post said.
The launch marked the 14th overall as NRO switches from deploying a few humongous satellites periodically toward a new approach. Dubbed proliferated architecture, the approach involves regularly launching dozens of small satellites to collect intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data from space.
“Through sustained launch activity and accelerated deployment of next-generation systems, NRO fields the most advanced and capable government constellation our nation has ever delivered with hundreds of satellites now on orbit,” the agency said in a written statement.
“Building on this momentum, 2026 is poised to be another dynamic year with a robust launch schedule for the remainder of the year.”
Other NRO missions occurred from Vandenberg in January and May. The firm’s payloads also launch from Florida and other locations.
Additional launches for the proliferated architecture will continue through 2029, according to NRO.
Founded in 1961, the NRO, made up of members of the Defense Department and the intelligence community, has acted as the “eyes and ears in space.”
After spending the first three decades operating covertly, public acknowledgement of the agency and its name only occurred in 1992.
SpaceX plans to conduct at least three more Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg before the end of June.
Vandenberg officials say Friday’s liftoff marked the 41st of 2026 for the base.