Cape Canaveral's Space Force Station was lit up in the pre-dawn hours Thursday when SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying NROL-95, a classified satellite mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.
The launch took place just after 3 a.m., with the mission successfully delivering its payload into orbit. True to SpaceX's routine precision, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster returned to land at Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral shortly after liftoff.
The National Reconnaissance Office operates the nation's fleet of intelligence-gathering satellites, and while the specifics of the NROL-95 payload remain classified, the agency regularly partners with SpaceX for these kinds of orbital deliveries.
This launch is part of an ongoing busy stretch for Florida's Space Coast, which continues to see frequent rocket activity out of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This story was reported by Florida Today.
