Liftoff of the NROL-113 mission was at 8:20 p.m. PDT (11:20 p.m. EDT, 0320 UTC). The Falcon 9 was believed to be carrying the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.
The mission is described as the second launch supporting the National Reconnaissance Office’s (NRO) “proliferated architecture.” Liftofff from Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 8:14 p.m. PDT (11:14 p.m. EDT, 0314 UTC).
Little has been said officially about the satellites, which have been described as part of the agency’s “proliferated architecture.” Liftoff happened at the opening of the launch window at 1 a.m. PDT (4 a.m. EDT, 0800 UTC).
In this week’s edition of News from the Press Site, Spaceflight Now’s Will Robinson-Smith is joined by Rachel Jewett, Senior Managing Editor for Via Satellite, and Joey Roulette, U.S. Business of Space Correspondent for Reuters.