A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a classified NROL-145 payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) on April 20, 2025 at 8:29 a.m. EDT (1229 GMT; 5:29 a.m. PDT, local time).
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00:0010, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ignition, and lift off of the Falcon 9, go SpaceX, go NRL-145.
00:23Vehicle is pitching downrange.
00:26Stage 1 propulsion is nominal.
00:30At T plus 35 seconds and counting, Falcon 9 has successfully lifted off from SLIC-4E at Bandenberg Space Force Base in California.
00:56In case you're just joining us, this is the NRL-145 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.
01:03We just had an on-time lift-off today at 529 a.m. Pacific Time.
01:08Coming up next, the vehicle will be passing through MAX-Q, which is the point in the mission profile where the vehicle experiences the greatest amount of aerodynamic pressure.
01:17Max-Q.
01:20Good call out there for MAX-Q, which again is when the vehicle experiences the greatest amount of aerodynamic stress.
01:27Coming up next, we have several events happening in quick succession, starting with MECO, followed by stage separation and SES-1.
01:34Main engine cutoff, or MECO, is where all nine M1-D engines shut down to slow the vehicle down in preparation for stage separation, which is where the first stage separates from the second stage.
01:45Followed by this, the MVAC engine on the second stage will light, which is called out as second engine start one, or SES-1.
01:54SES-1 will last several minutes, propelling the second stage and payload to orbit.
01:59In addition to these major events, the fairing halves will separate about 30 seconds after SES-1, so keep an eye out for all of those events coming up in about 30 seconds.
02:18And as a reminder, we will not have any views of the Falcon 9 second stage or the payload at the request of our customer.
02:29Main engine cutoff.
02:44Stage separation confirmed.
02:47MVAC ignition.
02:53And a good series of back-to-back call-outs there,
02:58which again were MECO, stage separation, and SES-1.
03:04Coming up shortly, we should hear a call-out for fairing separation, but as a reminder, we will not be showing it on screen.
03:12Fairing separation confirmed.
03:15Good call-out there.
03:17We are currently at T plus three minutes into today's mission.
03:22Now the next major milestones coming up in about three minutes from now will be entry burn of the Falcon 9 booster as it continues its journey towards droneship, of course I still love you, stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
03:34To start the entry burn, we will relight three M1D engines, which is similar to pumping the brakes to slow down the vehicle as it passes back into Earth's atmosphere.
03:44We need to slow down the vehicle to reduce re-entry forces, which then helps us recover and reuse the first stage.
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04:38Reusability is key to lowering the cost of spaceflight, which enables more investments
04:51in critical space infrastructure.
04:54The Falcon 9 first stage that is supporting today's mission will be performing the upcoming
04:59entry burn for its 12th time today.
05:02During the entry burn, Falcon 9 is decelerating by firing its Merlin engines, but it's still
05:07moving really fast, and this causes the vehicle to fly through Merlin's exhaust gases, also
05:13known as the rocket's plume, which deposits a layer of soot on the vehicle's surface.
05:18And that soot comes from the carbon-based fuel that Falcon 9 uses, and with each flight the
05:22soot builds up a little bit more on the outside of the vehicle.
05:24And that soot comes from the side of the vehicle.
05:26And that soot comes from the side of the vehicle.
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05:54But why is there to be this oriented guide on the field?
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05:55We should be hearing the call out for entry burn in just about 20 seconds from now.
06:24Good call out there for entry burn startup.
06:29This burn is set to last about 20 seconds and again is slowing down the vehicle in preparation for its final burn and landing.
06:45Stage one entry burn shutdown.
06:47And there you heard the call out for the completion of Falcon 9, of the Falcon 9 first stage's entry burn.
06:56Also in the background we have a great view of the sunrise.
07:00And coming up next will be the first stage landing burn.
07:04Stage one FTS is saved.
07:06Which should start in about under a minute from now.
07:08Normal trajectories.
07:09Stage one transonic.
07:38Stage two FTS is saved.
07:42Coming up in the next 10 seconds we will have the landing burn of the first stage, which is where engine 9 will relight.
08:00And the landing burn is the final burn of the Falcon 9 booster used to reduce the remaining speed of the vehicle for a gentle and precise landing on our drone ship.
08:10Stage two terminal guidance.
08:11We are now waiting for Falcon 9 to land on our drone ship, of course I still love you, stationed in the Pacific.
08:20Stage one landing like deploy.
08:32Landing confirmed.
08:33And there you heard the call out for the successful landing of our Falcon 9 rocket.
08:38This was the 12th launch and landing for this first stage.
08:42The next stage.
08:56And there.
09:00Right.