SpaceX

Landing Zone 4

Fourteenth 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.

NROL-146

Falcon 9 Block 5 | NROL-179

Vandenberg SFB

Space Launch Complex 4E

Falcon 9 Block 5

Launch Date: June 19, 2026
Launch Time: 1:40 a.m. PDT, 0840 UTC, 10:40 CEST 
Launch Window: Open until 2:15 a.m. PDT
Launch Site: SLC-4E - Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
Targeted Orbit: Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Launch Inclination: Southeast
Launch Status: Scheduled and announced

Mission: Starlink NROL-179
Launch Provider: SpaceX
Launch Contractor: National Reconnaissance Office United States (with Space Launch Delta 30 and the US-Space Force)
Launcher System: Falcon 9 (Booster 1103 - Turnaround time 29 days)
Flight for the Booster: 3
Previous Flights of the Booster: 2 Starlink Missions
Booster Landing: Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4), Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA

Price: $74 million (without payload)
Diameter: 3,7 m
Height: 70 meters
Payload to Orbit: 22,800 LEO / 8,300 GTO
Lift-Off T...

English

GO! - SpaceX - Falcon 9 - NROL-179 - SLC-4E - Vandenberg SFB - Space Affairs Live

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 Friday, June 19, at 1:40 a.m. PDT / 4:40 a.m. EDT (0840 UTC).

The first-stage booster, The Falcon 9 first stage booster, tail number B1103, launching for a third time, will return for a landing at Landing Zone 4 less than eight minutes after liftoff.

The NROL-179 mission will take a south-easterly trajectory upon departure from Vandenberg. This will be the 14th mission supporting the NRO's proliferated architecture, a constellation believed to consist of Starshield satellites.

Live commentary from Spaceflight Now's Will Robinson-Smith...

Live: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from California with satellites for U.S. spy satellite agency

Unofficial Webcast

Livestream on X

Official Webcast

Of Course I Still Love You

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 17-28

Starlink Mission

CASC

Long March 7A | Unknown Payload

Wenchang Space Launch Site

Long March 7A

Note: Mission profile and payload details are TBD.

Demonstration mission for SpaceX’s Project Starfall, which aims to mass-produce reentry capsules designed to autonomously transport valuable customer experiments and other payloads safely back from space to Earth, including for in-orbit manufacturing. 

Starfall is a cylindrical shaped capsule approximately 0.75 meters tall with a diameter of 3.1 meters, weighing approximately 2100 kilograms, and capable of carrying 1000 kilograms of payload. It is designed to be carried on Starship flights.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Project Starfall Demonstration Mission

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Space Launch Complex 40

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-45

Northrop Grumman Space Systems

Contracted by NASA under the Small Business Innovation Research Phase 3 contract, Katalyst Space Technologies' LINK servicing spacecraft will rendezvous and attach to NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to re-boost its orbit. This aims to demonstrate a key capability for the future of space exploration and extending the Swift mission’s science lifetime in gamma ray astronomy.

Swift Rescue Mission Patch

Pegasus XL | Swift Boost Mission

Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site

Air Launch

Pegasus XL

Tranche 1 Transport Layer E is one of six missions by the United States Space Force Space Development Agency (SDA) for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer constellation, which will provide assured, resilient, low-latency military data and connectivity worldwide to the full range of warfighter platforms from Low Earth Orbit satellites.

The constellation will be interconnected with Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISLs) which have significantly increased performance over existing radio frequency crosslinks. It is expected to operate over Ka band, have stereo coverage and be dynamically networked for simpler hand-offs, greater bandwidth and fault tolerance.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E

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

Launch Complex 3 Landing Pad

First low-altitude hop test of a Themis demonstrator, with a targeted altitude up to 100 m.

Themis Demonstrator | T1H-1

Esrange Space Center

Launch Complex 3B

Themis Demonstrator

Rocket Lab

Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.

The Grain Goddess Provides Patch

Electron | The Grain Goddess Provides (iQPS Launch 7)

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1

Unknown Pad

Electron

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.

Ten Owl Of Ten Patch

Electron | Ten Owl Of Ten (StriX Launch 10)

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

Deep Blue Aerospace

First test launch of Deep Blue Aerospace’s Nebula-1 rocket.

The test flight profile is reported to be sub-orbital.

Nebula-1 | Demo Flight

Haiyang Oriental Spaceport

Land Launch Pad 1

Nebula-1

Tranche 1 Transport Layer A is one of six missions by the United States Space Force Space Development Agency (SDA) for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer constellation, which will provide assured, resilient, low-latency military data and connectivity worldwide to the full range of warfighter platforms from Low Earth Orbit satellites.

The constellation will be interconnected with Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISLs) which have significantly increased performance over existing radio frequency crosslinks. It is expected to operate over Ka band, have stereo coverage and be dynamically networked for simpler hand-offs, greater bandwidth and fault tolerance.

This launch carries 21 satellites manufactured by Northrop Grumman.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A

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

Want to be part of our next mission? 
We are looking for ambitious talent across all teams to engineer the f...

"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 "Onward and Upward" Mission

SXM-11 is the 12th high-powered, digital, audio radio satellite built by Lanteris Space (ex-Maxar, Space System/Loral) for SiriusXM. The SXM-11 satellite will be based on the proven IM-1300 (ex-LS-1300)-class platform and built at the company’s manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California. SXM-11 has a large, mesh, unfurlable reflector almost 10 meters in diameter that allows SiriusXM programming to reach its radios, including those in moving vehicles.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Sirius SXM-11

Tranche 1 Transport Layer F is one of six missions by the United States Space Force Space Development Agency (SDA) for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer constellation, which will provide assured, resilient, low-latency military data and connectivity worldwide to the full range of warfighter platforms from Low Earth Orbit satellites.

The constellation will be interconnected with Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISLs) which have significantly increased performance over existing radio frequency crosslinks. It is expected to operate over Ka band, have stereo coverage and be dynamically networked for simpler hand-offs, greater bandwidth and fault tolerance.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer F

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

China Rocket Co.

Smart Dragon 3 | Unknown Payload

Sea Launch

DeFu-15002 mobile launch platform

Smart Dragon 3

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

Tranche 1 Tracking Layer C 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 C

Tranche 1 Transport Layer D is one of six missions by the United States Space Force Space Development Agency (SDA) for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer constellation, which will provide assured, resilient, low-latency military data and connectivity worldwide to the full range of warfighter platforms from Low Earth Orbit satellites.

The constellation will be interconnected with Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISLs) which have significantly increased performance over existing radio frequency crosslinks. It is expected to operate over Ka band, have stereo coverage and be dynamically networked for simpler hand-offs, greater bandwidth and fault tolerance.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer D

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-08)

Space Launch Complex 41

Atlas V 551

Pyotr Dubrov

Anil Menon

Anna Kikina

ROSCOSMOS

Soyuz MS-29 will carry three cosmonauts and one astronaut to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The crew consists of Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, as well as NASA astronaut Anil Menon.

Soyuz 2.1a | Soyuz MS-29

Baikonur Cosmodrome

31/6

Soyuz MS

Soyuz 2.1a

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.

Rocket Launches Today