WASHINGTON — Following the launch of a classified mission April 20, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has reached a new milestone, deploying more than 200 satellites into orbit in just over two years.
The NROL-145 mission lifted off Sunday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 8:29 a.m. Eastern. This marked SpaceX’s 10th launch of satellites for the NRO’s proliferated architecture, which includes Starshield imaging satellites built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman.
A proliferated architecture refers to the strategy of using numerous smaller satellites rather than fewer large ones, creating networks that are more resilient against potential threats and capable of providing more comprehensive coverage.
The National Reconnaissance Office designs and operates classified U.S. government surveillance and intelligence satellites. The agency is currently deploying an extensive network of satellites designed to track ground targets in near real-time.
New contract phase begins
Sunday’s launch was the first mission awarded by the U.S. Space Force under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 program. The task order for NROL-145 was one of nine awarded to SpaceX in October 2024.
“This was our first Phase 3 launch, coming only months after establishing this new contract,” Col. Jim Horne, launch execution senior materiel leader at the Space Systems Command, said in a statement.
Horne also noted that 44 missions from the previous NSSL Phase 2 contract remain to be launched. The majority of those missions were awarded to United Launch Alliance. ULA’s new Vulcan rocket is expected to conduct its first NSSL mission this summer.
NRO’s multiple launch approaches
The NRO said in a news release that NSSL represents just one of multiple acquisition approaches the agency employs to deploy its satellites. For example, the agency has launched satellites with SpaceX and Rocket Lab under commercial contracts, and most recently utilized Northrop Grumman’s solid-fueled Minotaur IV for a mission under a separate contract vehicle used by the Space Force for small rockets.
“Over the past two years, NRO has launched more than 200 satellites, creating the largest and most capable government constellation on orbit in our nation’s history,” the agency said. Looking ahead, “2025 is set to be another dynamic year, with approximately one dozen NRO launches scheduled. Half of these launches will focus on advancing the NRO’s proliferated architecture with additional proliferated launches planned through 2029.”
