NROL-85

Mission

NROL-85

• Type: Government/Top Secret
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
• Launch Cost: $52,000,000

Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office.

Location

Space Launch Complex 4E

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Find the best place to watch the launch from Vandenberg

Space Launch Complex 4E has witnessed the launch of 180 rockets, including 180 orbital launch attempts. While Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, has been the site for 792 rocket launches.

Vandenberg Space Force Base is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing. The United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 30 serves as the host delta for the base, equivalent to an Air Force air base wing. In addition to its military space launch mission, Vandenberg Space Force Base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.

Rocket

SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5

Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.

Learn more about the Falcon 9 Block 5

Core B1071

B1071 has successfully landed back at its launch site after its second flight. Booster B1071 last launched 02/11/2025 and has seen 23 successful launches and landings. Falcon 9 Block 5 booster first used for the NROL-87 mission.

A sonic boom is likely to occur a few minutes after launch as the booster returns to the launch site. Be prepared for a loud but thrilling experience! Learn more about rocket launch sonic booms

Landing Zone 4 - LZ-4

LZ at Vandenberg

Return to Launch Site - RTLS

A return to launch site usually means that after stage separation the booster flips and does a burn back towards the launch site, landing near where it initially launched from.

Agency

SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.