NRO's classified NROL-97 (USA-708) reached a high-energy northeasterly orbit on Falcon Heavy from Kennedy LC-39A, the office's first Heavy flight and first NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2 payload. Side boosters B1104 (2nd) and B1072 (4th), reused from NASA's Roman telescope, landed at LZ-1 and LZ-2; new core B1106 was expended. NRO confirmed the spacecraft on orbit and reused NROL-95 fairings, closing a SpaceX tripleheader that landed four boosters in one day.
- Outcome
- Success
- Payload to orbit
- 5 T (est.)
- Flight
- 14th
- of 14 Falcon Heavy flights
- Date and time
- 2 October 2026, 03:54 UTC
- Rocket
- Falcon Heavy
- Builder
- SpaceX
- Launch site
- Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
- Payload
- Government/Top Secret
- International designator
- 2026-228
- Launches in 2026
- 238th of 243
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