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Space
Space
Science
Mike Wall

SpaceX launches its 1st national security mission of 2026, sending US spy satellites to orbit

SpaceX NRO National Security
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the NROL-105 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Jan. 16, 2026.

SpaceX launched its first national security mission of the year on Friday night (Jan. 16), sending a batch of spy satellites aloft from California.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base Friday at 11:39 p.m. EST (8:39 p.m. local California time; 0439GMT on Jan. 17), kicking off a mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) called NROL-105.

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