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NROL-97

· Falcon Heavy · Kennedy Space Center, Florida

T−03Days:14Hours:30Min:38Sec
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NROL-97
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01

Mission

Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office.

Falcon Heavy will launch NROL-97 from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Side booster B1072 (4th flight) will return to Landing Zone 2 (LZ-2). The center core, B1106 (1st flight), will be expended. Side booster B1104 (2nd flight) will return to Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1).

Mission briefing from SpaceX

SpaceX is targeting Thursday, October 1 for Falcon Heavy’s launch of the NROL-97 mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 11:53 p.m. ET, with a backup opportunity available on Friday, October 2 at 11:48 p.m. ET.

A live webcast of the NROL-97 mission will begin about 10 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.

This is the second and fourth flight for the two first stage side boosters supporting this mission, which previously launched the GOES-U, Viasat-3 F3, and Roman Space Telescope missions. Following stage separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will land on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Liftoff
23:53 EDT at the pad
Window
– 49 min
Webcast
Rocket
Falcon Heavy · SpaceX
Launch site
Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Latest update
GO for launch.

49min

Launch window

1st

Flight of B1106

116th

SpaceX launch of 2026

02

Mission profile

From liftoff to landing

Mission profile of NROL-97, from liftoff to landing
Graphic: SpaceXFull resolution

03

Flight

All times approximate · shown in your time zone, CEST · Timeline: SpaceX

  1. T+00:01:09Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
  2. T+00:02:24Side booster engine cutoff (BECO)Boosters
  3. T+00:02:27Side boosters separateBoosters
  4. T+00:02:31Side boosters flipBoosters
  5. T+00:02:42Side boosters boostback burn beginsBoosters
  6. T+00:03:47Side boosters boostback burn endsBoosters
  7. T+00:03:511st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)Boosters
  8. T+00:03:541st and 2nd stages separate
  9. T+00:04:002nd stage engine starts (SES-1)2nd stage
  10. T+00:04:17Fairing separation2nd stage
  11. T+00:06:29Side boosters entry burn beginsBoosters
  12. T+00:06:37Side boosters entry burn endsBoosters
  13. T+00:07:30Side boosters landing burns beginBoosters
  14. T+00:07:47Side boosters land at LZ-1 and LZ-2Boosters

04

Falcon Heavy

SpaceX · Reusable

The Falcon Heavy is a variant of the Falcon 9 full thrust launch vehicle and consists of a standard Falcon 9 rocket core, with two additional boosters derived from the Falcon 9 first stage.

13 flights, 13 successful, first flown February 2018

  • Side boosterB1072 · 4th flight · previously Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope · Landing Zone 2 (LZ-2)
  • Center coreB1106 · 1st flight · Expended
  • Side boosterB1104 · 2nd flight · previously Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope · Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1)

70m

Height

12.2m

Diameter

1,400t

Mass at liftoff

64t

Payload to low Earth orbit

22.8MN

Thrust at liftoff

05

Launch site

Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Launch Complex 39A

Coordinates
28.608° N · 80.604° W
Local time
09:22:21 EDT
This year
3rd launch from this pad in 2026
Pad turnaround
33 days since the previous launch
Kennedy Space Center

06

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