SpaceX's Falcon 9 is standing vertical at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with liftoff targeted for early Thursday morning. The NROL-95 mission carries classified national security payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command — the latest in a growing cadence of government launches SpaceX has absorbed under long-term federal contracts.
Mission Details
Liftoff is scheduled for 3:09 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 30, 2026, with a backup window available Friday, July 31 at 2:55 a.m. ET. The payload is classified, with the NRO describing it only as a national security asset. The mission is being executed in partnership with U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 45 and Space Systems Command.
NROL-95 is the NRO's fourth launch of 2026, following NROL-105, NROL-172, and NROL-179 earlier this year. It also marks the third NRO mission SpaceX has flown under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 contract, a deal awarded to SpaceX in August 2020 that cemented the company as a primary launch provider for U.S. intelligence and defense payloads.
Booster and Hardware
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
| Booster | B1096 (7th flight) |
| Last Flight | May 15, 2026 |
| Booster Landing | Landing Zone 2 (LZ-2), Cape Canaveral |
| Launch Site | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station |
| Fairing Recovery | Planned for reuse |
| Liftoff | July 30, 2026 — 3:09 a.m. ET |
| Backup Window | July 31, 2026 — 2:55 a.m. ET |
Booster B1096 is flying for the seventh time, having completed its previous mission on May 15, 2026. The plan calls for a return-to-launch-site landing at LZ-2 — a relatively quick turnaround profile that SpaceX has refined into a near-routine operation. Fairing recovery is also planned, continuing SpaceX's push to make every reusable component count across its launch manifest.
The Bigger Picture
The NSSL Phase 2 contract, awarded in 2020, split the U.S. government's national security launch business between SpaceX and ULA. Since then, SpaceX has steadily increased its share of high-priority government missions, with the Falcon 9's reliability and rapid reuse cadence making it the default workhorse for classified payloads that can't afford anomalies.
Four NRO launches in a single calendar year reflects both the growing demand for intelligence-gathering assets in orbit and SpaceX's capacity to service that demand at a pace no other provider currently matches. As the NSSL Phase 3 contract competition advances, each successful classified mission adds to SpaceX's operational track record — a factor that weighs heavily in government source selection decisions.
All launch schedules remain subject to weather and range availability. Follow our SpaceX coverage for launch outcome updates.
Sources & reporting notes
The links below identify the material source records used for this report.
- @SpaceX on X (2026-07-28T18:03:01.000Z) — Direct source
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