SpaceX launches 4th batch of Starshield satellites for the NRO on its 100th Falcon 9 rocket of 2024

SpaceX launch its fourth mission of the year for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) carrying satellites for its so-called “proliferated architecture,” which are believed to be Starshield satellites.

The mission, dubbed NROL-167, added an unspecified number of satellites to the growing constellation. Liftoff happened at 10:13 a.m. PDT (1:13 p.m. EDT, 1713 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.