SpaceX launched NROL-97, a classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, on a Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center late on Oct. 1, 2026. It was the first time the NRO has flown on the heavy-lift rocket.
Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A came at 11:54 p.m. EDT (0354 UTC on Oct. 2). SpaceX landed both side boosters, and the center core was expended, Spaceflight Now reported.
The NROL-97 payload and its orbit have not been disclosed. The rocket flew on a northeasterly trajectory out of Florida, according to the same report.
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NROL-97 Is the NRO’s First Falcon Heavy Mission
The NRO, which operates the United States’ spy satellite fleet, has flown payloads on 22 Falcon 9 rockets. This is the first to use the Falcon Heavy, Spaceflight Now reported.
It was also the first NRO mission to launch after being procured in 2025 through the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 2 contract, according to Spaceflight Now. The NRO said the payload fairing had flown before, on the NROL-95 mission in July.
The webcast ended shortly after the side boosters landed, at the NRO’s request, Space.com reported.
What Flew on NROL-97
It was the Falcon Heavy’s 14th flight. The rocket uses 27 Merlin 1D engines and first flew in 2018, Spaceflight Now reported. The center core, B1106, was brand new and was expended on this mission.
The two side boosters both flew about a month earlier to launch NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, Spaceflight Now reported. B1104 made its second flight and B1072 its fourth. They landed at Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station less than eight minutes after liftoff, Space.com reported.
SpaceX returned Landing Zone 1 to service for the mission, Spaceflight Now reported. It was the first landing there since the Crew-11 mission in August 2025, according to Spaceflight Now’s launch preview.
What Is Known About the NROL-97 Payload
Very little. As with most NRO missions, the agency has not said what the mission carried, Spaceflight Now reported. NASASpaceflight.com said before launch that the payload was headed to a high-energy orbit.
Space.com noted that the choice of a Falcon Heavy suggests the payload is heavy, or headed to a relatively distant destination. That is an inference, not an NRO statement.
A Third SpaceX Launch in One Day
The mission was SpaceX’s third Falcon launch of the day, Spaceflight Now reported, following the Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station and a rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Space.com put the three liftoffs within less than 13 hours.
Spaceflight Now reported it was the first time SpaceX has landed four boosters in a single day.
FAQ: NROL-97 Falcon Heavy Launch
What is NROL-97?
A classified National Reconnaissance Office mission that launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy on Oct. 1, 2026 (Oct. 2 UTC), the NRO’s first flight on that rocket.
Did SpaceX recover the Falcon Heavy boosters?
Both side boosters landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The center core was expended.
What was on board?
The NRO has not said. The payload and its orbit are classified.
Looking Ahead
Details of the payload are unlikely to be released, since the NRO rarely discloses what its missions carry. NASASpaceFlight.com reported that Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch a heavy manifest for the Space Force and the NRO in 2027.
Sources
- Spaceflight Now — Falcon Heavy flies its first mission for U.S. spy satellite agency
- Spaceflight Now — Falcon Heavy NROL-97 launch preview
- Space.com — Falcon Heavy launches secret US spy mission to complete SpaceX tripleheader
- NASASpaceflight.com — Falcon Heavy set to launch classified NROL-97 to high-energy orbit
- KeepTrack — Space Brief 2 Oct 2026
