SpaceX successfully launched the NROL-126 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Saturday.

This mission, the fifth in the NRO’s proliferated architecture program, carried government satellites and 20 Starlink satellites to orbit. It marked SpaceX’s 100th successful launch from the base.

The Falcon 9 rocket’s first-stage booster also successfully landed on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean, Fox Business has reported.

The NRO’s satellite network aims to enhance real-time ground target tracking, with several more launches planned through 2028.

Written by B.C. Begley