The NRO, in close partnership with the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC), is launching NROL-97, carrying a critical national security payload designed, built, and operated by the NRO. This milestone mission marks the NRO’s first-ever launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, representing a significant expansion in NRO’s heavy-lift capability following 22 successful Falcon 9 launches. The NROL-97 mission successfully capitalized on flight-proven hardware, repurposing payload fairings from the NROL-95 launch on July 30 and side boosters from NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission on August 30.

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Looking forward, the NRO is building on its proven ability to manage massive collection volumes and meet ultra-tight delivery time lines. To deliver the next generation of capabilities, the NRO is actively developing and acquiring advanced space and ground systems. These systems are being integrated directly into the broader intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance architecture to fully support the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense missions. Graphic & text credits: NRO