SpaceX

Of Course I Still Love You

Thirteenth 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.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | NROL-172

Vandenberg SFB

Space Launch Complex 4E

Falcon 9 Block 5

On Tuesday May 12, 2026 at 02:13 UTC, SpaceX launched the NROL-172 mission with a Falcon 9 Block 5 from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.

Description generated from the Launch Library 2 API.
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Object in the Launch Library 2 API: https://ll.thespacedevs.com/2.3.0/launches/24f0b5b1-f573-4cc9-8898-1eb7fd5cc0f2/?format=json
Related news in the Spaceflight News API: https://api.spaceflightnewsapi.net/v4/articles/?launch=24f0b5b1-f573-4cc9-8898-1eb7fd5cc0f2
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Original video: https://...

English

SpaceX NROL-172

Unofficial Re-stream

Watch live coverage as SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket from California on a mission for America's spy satellite agency, the National Reconnaissance Office. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for Monday, May 11 at 7:13:50 p.m. PDT / 10:13:50 p.m. EDT (0213:50 UTC on Tuesday, May 12).

The first-stage booster, B1097, launching for a ninth time, will land on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' nearly 8.5 minutes into the flight.

The NROL-172 mission will take a south-easterly trajectory upon departure from Vandenberg. This will be the 12th mission supporting the NRO's proliferated architecture, a constellation believed to consist of Starshield satellites.

Live commentary will be provided starting about 30 minutes prior to...

Live: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from California on a mission for U.S. spy satellite agency

Unofficial Webcast

NROL-172 Mission

Official Webcast

CASC

Long March 6A | Unknown Payload

Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center

Launch Complex 9A

Long March 6A

Landing Zone 40

34th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.

Cargo Dragon 2 brings supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support science and research investigations that occur onboard the orbiting laboratory.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Dragon CRS-2 SpX-34

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Space Launch Complex 40

Cargo Dragon 2

CRS-34 Mission

Coverage of NASA’s SpaceX 34th Commercial Resupply Services Launch.

NASA’s SpaceX 34th Commercial Resupply Services Launch

LandSpace

Zhuque-2E | Unknown Payload

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

Launch Area 96

Zhuque-2E

CAS Space

Kinetica 1 | Unknown Payload

Launch Area 130

Kinetica 1

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

Space X Starlink Mission Patch

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-37

Starlink Mission

12th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Maiden Flight of Starship V3

Starship IFT patch

Starship | Flight 12

Starbase

Orbital Launch Pad 2

Starship V3

A Shortfall of Gravitas

The Globalstar global mobile communications network offers global, digital real time voice, data and fax services via its Low Earth Orbit satellite constellation. The constellation operates in a 1410 km orbit inclined at 52 degrees.

In early 2022, Globalstar contracted with MDA for the construction of 17 new 2nd generation refresh satellites to replenish the existing constellation. Rocket Lab is sub-contracted to build the satellites' buses and the launch dispensers.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Globalstar 2-R Mission 1 (x 9)

Globalstar 2-R Launch 1 Mission

Long March 8 | Unknown Payload

Wenchang Space Launch Site

Commercial LC-1

Long March 8

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-42

Avio S.p.A

Joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to investigate the interaction between Earth’s protective shield – the magnetosphere – and the supersonic solar wind.

Smile Patch

Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)

Guiana Space Centre

Ariane Launch Area 1

Vega-C

Join us live on 9 April, as we broadcast the launch of the European-Chinese Smile mission.
 
Smile will head to space on a Vega-C rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
 
This stream will include live launch footage from the launchpad and control room, as well as real-time interviews with people involved in the mission and its launch.
 
For the first time, Smile is going to reveal what really happens when charged particles from the Sun crash into Earth's magnetic shield.
 
It carries an X-ray camera to make the first X-ray observations of how exactly this shield responds to the solar wind, and an ultraviolet camera to watch the resulting northern lights for 45 hours at a time.
 
Find out more at esa.int/smile

★ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/ESAsubscribe and click twice on the be...

ESA's Smile mission launch

Agency for Defense Development

Note: Launch vehicle name is provisional.

First orbital full version launch of the South Korean military small satellite launch vehicle, after 2 sub-orbital tests of individual stages on 30 March and 30 December 2022, and 1 orbital test flight without the 2nd stage on 4 December 2023. Details TBD.

South Korean ADD Solid-Fuel SLV | Demo Flight

Jeju Island

ADD Offshore launch platform

South Korean ADD Solid-Fuel SLV

ISRO

GISAT-1A (GEO Imaging Satellite) is an Indian earth observing satellite operating from geostationary orbit to facilitate continuous observation of Indian sub-continent, quick monitoring of natural hazards and disaster.

GSLV Mk II | GISAT-1A (EOS-05)

Satish Dhawan Space Centre

Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad

GSLV Mk. II

Rocket Lab

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.

Viva La Strix Patch

Electron | Viva La StriX (StriX Launch 9)

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1

Unknown Pad

Electron

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

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 10-31

Amazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper, is a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit that will offer broadband internet access, this constellation will be managed by Kuiper Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon. This constellation is planned to be composed of 3,276 satellites. The satellites are projected to be placed in 98 orbital planes in three orbital layers, one at 590 km, 610 km and 630 km altitude.

29 satellites are carried on this launch.

Atlas V 551 | Amazon Leo (LA-07)

Space Launch Complex 41

Atlas V 551

Long March 7A | Unknown Payload

Long March 7A

Isar Aerospace

Second test flight of the Isar Spectrum launch vehicle. This launch will carry 5 cubesats and 1 non-separable experiment as part of European Space Agency (ESA)'s “Boost!” program:

* CyBEEsat (TU Berlin)
* TriSat-S (University of Maribor)
* Platform 6 (EnduroSat)
* FramSat-1 (NTNU)
* SpaceTeamSat1 (TU Wien Space Team)
* Let It Go (Dcubed, non-separable experiment)

Onward and Upward Patch

Spectrum | Onward and Upward

Andøya Spaceport

Orbital Launch Pad

Spectrum

Mission Name: 'Onward and Upward'

Launch Date: Updates via https://isaraerospace.com/mission-updates-overview

Launch site: Andøya Space

The second flight of our ‘Spectrum’ launch vehicle marks a significant milestone serving as both the vehicle’s qualification mission and its first flight carrying payload.

"Onward and Upward" symbolizes our relentless drive for progress and continuous improvement, reflecting our determination to build upon the successes and lessons learned from our inaugural test flight.

The livestream is produced in collaboration with the @NASASpaceflight team.

More information on the Mission ‘Onward and Upward’ here: https://isaraerospace.com/mission-2

"Onward and Upward" Mission of Isar Aerospace

Mission Name: 'Onward and Upward'

Launch Date: Updates via https://isaraerospace.com/mission-updates-overview

Launch site: Andøya Space

The second flight of Isar's ‘Spectrum’ launch vehicle marks a significant milestone serving as both the vehicle’s qualification mission and its first flight carrying payload.

"Onward and Upward" symbolizes Isar's relentless drive for progress and continuous improvement, reflecting their determination to build upon the successes and lessons learned from our inaugural test flight.

NSF/NASASpaceflight LLC is providing live stream production services for Isar Aerospace's second flight of Spectrum.

More information on the Mission ‘Onward and Upward’ here: https://isaraerospace.com/mission-2

LDAPAABJRG2UMCU3

Isar Aerospace Launches the "Onward and Upward" Mission

ROSCOSMOS

Note: Payload identities uncertain.

Batch of 16 Rassvet-3 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Russian Byuro-1440 (Bureau 1440) constellation for broadband high-speed internet access in Russia.

Soyuz 2.1b | 16 x Rassvet-3

Plesetsk Cosmodrome

Soyuz 2.1b

First test launch of CASC’s Long March 10B rocket.

Long March 10B | Demo Flight

Commercial LC-2

Long March 10B

Arianespace

Amazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper, is a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit that will offer broadband internet access, this constellation will be managed by Kuiper Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon. This constellation is planned to be composed of 3,276 satellites. The satellites are projected to be placed in 98 orbital planes in three orbital layers, one at 590 km, 610 km and 630 km altitude.

35-40 satellites will be carried on each Ariane 6 launch.

Ariane 64 Block 2 | Amazon Leo (LE-03)

Ariane Launch Area 4

Ariane 64 Block 2

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Test flight of the H3-30 variant of the H3 launch vehicle with 3 LE-9 engines in the first stage and no SRBs. The flight will carry a dummy main payload (Vehicle Evaluation Payload 5, VEP-5) and several hitchhiking small satellites:

* PETREL

* STARS-X

* BRO-22

* VERTECS

* HORN-L/R

H3-30 | H3-30 Test Flight

Tanegashima Space Center

Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2

H3-30

LOXSAT 1 is a demonstration satellite of a complete cryogenic oxygen fluid management system in orbit, developed by Eta Space and sponsored by NASA's Tipping Point program.

The system will be integrated on a Rocket Lab Photon-LEO satellite bus and collect critical cryogenic fluid management data in orbit for 9 months, demonstrating capabilities of in-space cryogenic storage and transferal. Eta Space plans to use technology developed for this mission to develop a truly commercial depot intended to serve multiple customers in the future.

Electron | LOXSAT 1

Tranche 1 Tracking Layer A is one of five missions by the United States Space Force Space Development Agency (SDA) for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 Tracking Layer constellation, which will provide global indications, warning, tracking, and targeting of advanced missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer A

Tranche 1 Tracking Layer E is one of five missions by the United States Space Force Space Development Agency (SDA) for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 Tracking Layer constellation, which will provide global indications, warning, tracking, and targeting of advanced missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer E

Rocket Launches Today