NROL-87

NROL 87

• Type: Government/Top Secret
• Orbit: Sun-Synchronous Orbit
• Launch Cost: $52,000,000

Classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

Space Launch Complex 4E

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Space Launch Complex 4E has witnessed the launch of 139 rockets, including 139 orbital launch attempts, while Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, has been the site for 750 rocket launches.

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.

Core B1071

Booster B1071 last launched 04/02/2024 and has seen 15 successful launches and landings. Falcon 9 Block 5 booster first used for the NROL-87 mission.

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.

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.