SpaceX rolls out Falcon Heavy for classified NROL-97 mission on October 1; when and where to watch live

SpaceX is gearing up to launch another mission for the National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command today, October 1. A Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled to lift off at 11:53 pm EDT from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a backup opportunity available at 11:48 pm the next day. In preparation for the mission, SpaceX rolled out the Falcon Heavy rocket to the launchpad on Wednesday for what would be its third launch of the year. 

In a post on X, the company shared visuals of the launch vehicle being moved to pad 39A with the payload inside its fairing. The mission press kit released by the Reconnaissance Office, meanwhile, said that the rocket will deploy a "critical national security payload designed, built, and operated by the NRO." It will likely enhance the existing capabilities of the U.S. Space Force, which, as recently admitted by Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, has deployed weapons in space.

Falcon Heavy prepares for first NROL mission 

Interestingly, the upcoming launch will be the first NROL mission being launched by SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. All past launches on 22 missions have been carried out by the company’s workhorse, the Falcon 9 rocket. “This milestone mission marks the NRO’s first-ever launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, representing a significant expansion in NRO’s heavy-lift capability following 22 successful Falcon 9 launches,” the Reconnaissance Office said. Moreover, the Falcon Heavy is also reusing its payload fairing from the NROL-95 mission launched on July 30 and the two side boosters that launched NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30. 

According to SpaceX's description, the upcoming launch will mark the second and fourth flights for the side boosters, which have previously supported the GOES-U and Viasat-3 F3 missions. Following stage separation, the boosters will land on SpaceX's Landing Zones 1 and 2 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. You can watch the launch live on SpaceX’s official website and X handle when the webcast begins 10 minutes prior to scheduled liftoff. 

The mission patch for the NROL-97 mission is special, as it honors the victims of the 9/11 attacks in the U.S., which marked its 25th anniversary on September 11 this year. The patch features a lighthouse representing strength and the ability to provide information to those in need, while the endpoints of the light beam align to the locations of 9 and 11 on a clock face. It also has four prominent stars representing the four aircraft lost on 9/11 and the Moon phase as it appeared on September 11. “The mission patch serves as a tribute to the lives and sacrifices remembered on September 11, 2001, embodying NRO’s unwavering commitment to protect our warfighters, defend freedom, and help build a safer world,” says the mission page.

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