VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif.—A classified satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) was launched into space from California on Sunday.
The NROL-85 satellite lifted off at 6:13 a.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard a two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
It was the first mission by the NRO to reuse a SpaceX rocket booster, Vandenberg said in a statement.
The Falcon’s first stage flew back and landed at the seaside base northwest of Los Angeles.
The NRO only described the NROL-85 satellite as a “critical national security payload.”
Its launch was one of three awarded by the Air Force to SpaceX in 2019 for a combined fixed price of $297 million.
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