With this launch, SpaceX completes its fourth mission of 2024 for the NRO: adding satellites to a classified constellation believed to consist of Starshield satellites. The mission, known as NROL-167, lifted off at 10:13 a.m. PDT (1:13 p.m. EDT) Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 4 East. The launch marked a milestone as it was the 100th Falcon 9 launch of the year for SpaceX, with one failure during a Starlink mission included in the count.
This is the 21st launch of the first-stage booster B1063, which previously supported other national security and NASA missions, as well as multiple Starlink flights. The booster landed hard on the droneship ‘Of Course I Still Love You,’ marking the 105th landing on this platform for SpaceX and its 358th booster recovery.
NRO’s Expanding Proliferated Satellite Constellation
The NRO has continued to grow its “proliferated architecture” constellation toward greater national security robust stream of rich intelligence data through continuous refresh. The constellation is made up of hundreds of small satellites, providing faster data relay times with much less latency, from minutes to seconds, for users of intelligence and operation. The constellation this agency would like to expand throughout 2024, with plans for at least nine more launches this year alone and a steady launch schedule through 2028.
NRO plans to orbit hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit, a move that makes it harder for adversaries, including China and Russia, to shut it down due to the many anti-satellite weapons they are known to develop. More satellites orbiting simultaneously mean minimal single points of failure, and the NRO’s envisaged intelligence operations will be continuous, even during turbulent times.
Starshield Satellite Network Focused On Government Use By SpaceX
Starshield satellites, to be used by the government, are developed as a collaboration between SpaceX and Northrop Grumman and are based on Starlink technology but support earth observation and secure communications in addition to that. Though commercially serving customers, the Starshield enables a much more advanced capability for sensing by national security via encrypted, in-space mesh networks.
The SpaceX firm advertised spots for engineers on the Starshield project, thus building secure communications software and ensuring that data would be accessible in the pursuit of intelligence needs. Through this partnership, the government reiterates how it values private-sector innovations to be used for national security purposes.
Improving National Security and Resilience in Space
The changing constellation gives the United States a much stronger space presence, as it offsets threats from anti-satellite weapons by spreading the assets across many small, replaceable satellites. As NRO Director Chris Scolese remarks, this architecture represents “a transition from demonstration phase to actual operations” in helping develop smarter and better-protected intelligence assets.
