SpaceX will launch a top-secret mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) at 3:09 a.m. ET Thursday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Falcon 9 rocket will carry the NROL-95 payload, a classified national security mission managed by the NRO and U.S. Space Force. The 45th Weather Squadron reports a 70% chance of favorable launch conditions, with concerns limited to cloud layers and anvil clouds. If delayed, the next opportunity is Friday at 2:55 a.m. ET.
The launch window opens at 2:37 a.m. ET and closes at 3:21 a.m. ET. The mission will mark the seventh flight of the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster, B1096, which is expected to land at Landing Zone 2 near the launch pad. This landing will likely produce a sonic boom audible for miles, as the booster descends at high speed.
The NRO has not disclosed details about the payload, which is designed and operated exclusively by the agency. The mission falls under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, a partnership between the NRO, U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command, and SpaceX. No public information about the spacecraft’s purpose or technology is available, as it is classified under national security.
The mission’s logo features a ferret, a rare detail for SpaceX launches. The animal’s inclusion has sparked local curiosity but remains unexplained by the company. Previous SpaceX missions, including Starlink and GPS satellite launches, have typically avoided such imagery. This is the first NRO mission launched from Cape Canaveral since 2023, when the agency shifted some operations to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Residents in nearby Brevard County are advised to expect potential disruptions from the sonic boom, which could be heard as far as Titusville and Palm Bay. SpaceX has not confirmed whether the mission will include any post-launch public viewing events, as is common for unclassified launches.