# SpaceX NROL-97 Falcon Heavy mission

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/spacex-nrol-97-falcon-heavy-mission
> Updated: 2026-10-02T06:17:50.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2.

SpaceX prepared for the NROL-97 mission by rolling out its Falcon Heavy rocket to Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The mission, a classified operation for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in partnership with the U.S. Space Force, represented the first time the NRO would launch a payload using a Falcon Heavy rocket.

On October 2, 2026, the Falcon Heavy successfully launched the classified payload from Launch Complex 39A. While the specific nature of the payload and its target orbit remain undisclosed, the mission was conducted under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 2 contract. The flight demonstrated hardware reuse through the use of recovered fairing halves and the successful landing of both side boosters at designated zones following stage separation.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-02: SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches classified NRO payload

SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy rocket on October 2, 2026, carrying a classified NRO payload (NROL-97) from Kennedy Space Center, marking the agency's first use of the heavy-lift vehicle.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/spacex-falcon-heavy-launches-classified-nro-payload

### 2026-09-29: SpaceX rolls out Falcon Heavy for NROL-97 mission

SpaceX has moved its Falcon Heavy rocket to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center for the NROL-97 mission, a classified National Reconnaissance Office launch targeted for October 1.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/spacex-rolls-out-falcon-heavy-for-nrol-97-mission

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Cite as: SpaceX NROL-97 Falcon Heavy mission. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/spacex-nrol-97-falcon-heavy-mission