NROL-76
Falcon 9 Full Thrust
SpaceX
Rocket Launch Video
Weather Forecast During Launch
According to weather officials, there's a 70% chance of favorable weather conditions at the time of the launch.
Mission
NROL-76
- Type: Government/Top Secret
- Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
- Launch Cost: $50,000,000
Classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
Location
Launch Complex 39A
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Find the best place to watch the launch from Florida
Launch Complex 39A has witnessed the launch of 208 rockets, including 207 orbital launch attempts. While Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA, has been the site for 266 rocket launches.
The John F. Kennedy Space Center, located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of NASA's ten field centers. Since 1968, KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of American spaceflight, research, and technology. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).
Rocket
SpaceX Falcon 9 Full Thrust
The Full Thrust variants first stage includes all systems necessary for an operational re-use of stages while the second stage is operated as an expendable rocket stage.
Landing
Core B1032
The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed at LZ-1. Booster B1032 last launched 01/31/2018 and has seen 1 successful launches and landings. Survived water landing on a non-recovery launch, SpaceX couldn't tug it back to port, so they hired a company to destroy it.
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 1 - LZ-1
LZ-1 Pad located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at the previous LC-13
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.
