A Falcon rocket delivered an Easter morning sight Sunday — and a surprise wake up call for some — with a liftoff and landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Launch of the 230-foot-tall rocket, built by Space Exploration Technologies, occurred at 6:13 a.m. from Space Launch Complex-4 on South Base, where clouds helped spoil the view of the departure. Clear skies elsewhere on the Central Coast allowed spectators to see the flight.
Some eight minutes later, with its chores done, the rocket’s first-stage booster returned to land at a site 1,400 feet west of the launch pad at Vandenberg. This was the 114th recovery of a Falcon rocket.
“#NROL85 has left Vandenberg Space Force Base and is beginning its ascent!” the National Reconnaissance Office said on Twitter.
That return was accompanied by thunderous sonic booms heard and felt in Santa Maria, Goleta and across the Central Coast.
“Welcome home Falcon 9 stage 1!,” NRO said on Twitter.
SpaceX also intended to capture the payload fairing, or nose cone, for use on another mission.
The rocket’s second-stage and its clandestine cargo, only referred to as “a national security payload,” continued climbing higher to the intended destination.
NRO officials typically doesn’t confirm if a spacecraft separated safely or other details about its post-launch health, and asked SpaceX to end the live broadcast early.
The Easter departure of the mission dubbed NROL-85 marked the first time an NRO payload traveled to space aboard a recycled rocket.
The same first-stage booster that flew Sunday’s mission also carried a different payload for NRO from Vandenberg in early February.
“All launches are exciting, but this one, with our first-ever re-use of a booster, is a striking indication of how NRO is building innovation and resiliency into everything we do,” said Col. Chad Davis, NRO’s director of the Office of Space Launch. “Reusing the booster shows we are continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible while delivering greater value. It reduces our costs, which reflects our commitment to using taxpayer dollars responsibly.
“This is a great example of how the NRO is working to be a leader in space stewardship.”
NRO, once so secret even it’s name wasn’t revealed, also shared it’s mission patch boasting the words, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
The NROL-85 patch also boasts three stars representing guidance, protection, and allegiance, according to NRO.
“The cat represents loyalty and devotion shared among our nation and partners. The tiger in the cat’s reflection demonstrates that while space can be challenging, a determined attitude helps NRO succeed in going Above and Beyond to meet the most difficult challenges we face in protecting our nation.”
Sunday’s launch marked the NRO’s 61st since publicly disclosing its existence in December 1996, according to SpaceX announcer John Insprucker.
“Launching a payload into orbit is the most dynamic aspect of the NRO’s mission, but the work that happens behind the scenes–designing, building, and operating our architecture in space–is no less critical to our mission of securing and expanding America’s intelligence advantage,” said NRO Director Chris Scolese. “I’m proud of the teamwork, skill, and determination that went into making this launch a success and ultimately to delivering critical information to our nation’s policymakers, military, and intelligence community.”
This also was SpaceX’s 14th launch of 2022, three of which flew from Vandenberg.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.