NROL-95 on Falcon 9: launch time & how to watch (July 30)

SpaceX will launch NROL-95, a classified national-security payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, on a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket. The mission is scheduled to lift off on July 30, 2026, at 06:37 UTC from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

NROL-95 is one of a series of NRO missions carrying reconnaissance and surveillance satellites. As with all NRO payloads, the exact nature, mass, and destination orbit of the satellites are classified. The launch status is currently listed as To Be Confirmed (TBC), meaning the date and time may still shift.

When is the NROL-95 launch?

The current target liftoff is 06:37 UTC on July 30, 2026. That corresponds to 2:37 a.m. EDT for viewers on the U.S. East Coast. Because the mission carries a national-security payload, SpaceX typically confirms the precise launch window only a day or two before flight. You can follow the countdown and any schedule changes on our rocket launch schedule.

Where is it launching from?

The rocket flies from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, one of SpaceX's two Florida launch pads. The Cape has hosted hundreds of Falcon 9 flights and remains the busiest orbital spaceport in the world. See other missions from the site on our Cape Canaveral launch hub.

What is the payload?

NROL-95 is a National Reconnaissance Office mission. The NRO designs, builds, and operates the United States' fleet of intelligence-gathering satellites, supporting reconnaissance, signals intelligence, and imaging for government agencies. Official details on the number of satellites and target orbit are not released for security reasons.

NRO missions on Falcon 9 have frequently supported the agency's proliferated architecture — a distributed constellation of smaller satellites in low Earth orbit intended to increase resilience and coverage. Whether NROL-95 fits this pattern has not been publicly confirmed.

What is Falcon 9 Block 5?

Falcon 9 Block 5 is SpaceX's two-stage, partially reusable orbital rocket, standing about 70 meters tall and capable of lifting roughly 22,800 kg to low Earth orbit in expendable mode. The Block 5 variant, introduced in 2018, was engineered for rapid reuse, with first-stage boosters flown and recovered many times over. SpaceX routinely lands the first stage either on a droneship at sea or back at Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone.

Falcon 9 remains the workhorse of the global launch market, with SpaceX conducting more than 100 flights per year. Explore the company's full manifest on our SpaceX launch hub.

How to watch NROL-95 live

SpaceX typically streams its launches beginning about 15 minutes before liftoff on its official channels. For national-security missions, the webcast is sometimes cut short after fairing deployment or stage separation at the government customer's request.

• Launch date: July 30, 2026
• Liftoff time: 06:37 UTC (2:37 a.m. EDT)
• Rocket: Falcon 9 Block 5
• Pad: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida
• Customer: National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
• Status: To Be Confirmed

You can also watch the rocket and its deployed satellites in real time on Cosmik's live 3D map of the solar system and track everything already in orbit with our satellite tracking guide.

Did the launch succeed?

This is a preview published ahead of the flight. Check back on our latest launch news for the outcome, including booster landing confirmation and mission status once SpaceX and the NRO release details.

Key facts at a glance

Launch data is sourced from The Space Devs Launch Library. Background on the vehicle and operator draws on Falcon 9 and the National Reconnaissance Office.

Follow NROL-95 live on Cosmik and enable free launch alerts so you never miss a Falcon 9 liftoff — track the rocket, its booster, and every satellite in orbit in real time.