The American company SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying satellites for the needs of the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

The launch of this rocket as part of the NROL-179 mission was carried out from the Vandenberg Space Force Base of the US Air Force at 01:50 local time.

This is the third launch of SpaceX for intelligence purposes in 2026. Earlier, the NROL-172 and NROL-105 missions were carried out in May and January.

The activities of the NRO, which monitors intelligence satellites, are highly classified. The parameters and descriptions of the devices are not publicized.

The American specialized network Spaceflight Now noted that, most likely, it is about Starshield satellites, but neither the NRO nor SpaceX have confirmed this information.