SpaceX Launches Classified NROL-69 Mission, Advancing U.S. Government's Satellite Network Expansion

SpaceX's Falcon 9 successfully launched the classified NROL-69 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on March 24 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This launch, the first National Security Space Launch (NSSL) mission of 2025, marks a step toward building the largest U.S. government satellite network. It also signifies the first NRO mission under SpaceX's NSSL Phase 2 contract awarded in August 2020. The NROL-69 launch follows the NROL-57 mission, which launched on March 21 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The NRO has launched over 150 satellites in the past two years, creating the largest government constellation in history. Approximately a dozen NRO launches are scheduled for 2025, with about half dedicated to expanding the proliferated architecture. Deployments are planned through 2029. Built in partnership with SpaceX and Northrop Grumman, this new imaging satellite constellation supports military operations. The NRO characterizes this expanding network as critical for modernizing U.S. intelligence-gathering. The NROL-69 mission occurred on the 19th anniversary of SpaceX's first launch. The mission's emblem features an origami-style hummingbird and the Latin phrase "Numquan hibernare," meaning "Never hibernate."