Photo: Bill Ingalls · Public domain (US government)
At Vandenberg SFB
NROL-136
Latest Added launch.
Watch the flight in 3D
About this launch
Fifteenth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities.
Where to watch
Official Webcast NROL-136 Mission X · EnglishEvery launch is announced on our Discord, and its /remind sends one to you as a direct message.
Questions
When does NROL-136 launch?
NROL-136 is scheduled to launch on 21 Nov 2026 at 12:30 UTC. The launch page shows the time in your own time zone with a countdown.
Where can I watch NROL-136 live?
The launch is streamed live on x.com. The launch page links it and shows when it starts.
Where does NROL-136 launch from?
NROL-136 launches from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What rocket launches NROL-136?
NROL-136 flies on Falcon 9 Block 5, launched by SpaceX.
Will the rocket be recovered?
Booster B1097: lands at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4).
More about this launch
Timeline21 moments, from the countdown to landing of the first stage
T−00:38:00Launch director verifies go for propellant loadT−00:35:00Start of propellant loadingT−00:35:00Start of liquid oxygen loading in the first stageT−00:16:00Start of liquid oxygen loading in the second stageT−00:07:00Start of engine chillingT−00:01:00Fuel tanks are pressurized to flight levelsT−00:01:00StartupT−00:00:45Launch director verifies go for launchT−00:00:03Start of the engine ignition sequenceT+00:00:00First upwards movement of the rocketT+00:01:02Maximum dynamic pressureT+00:02:11Cut-off of the main engineT+00:02:14Separation of the second stage from the firstT+00:02:22First start of the second engineT+00:02:27Start of the booster boostback burnT+00:02:59Separation of the payload fairingT+00:03:22End of the booster boostback burnT+00:05:53Start of the atmospheric entry burnT+00:06:10End of the atmospheric entry burnT+00:07:09Start of the first stage landing burnT+00:07:34Landing of the first stage
Point at an underlined moment, or tap it, for what it means. All the words of a launch
Flight profileThe climb and the booster's way back, seen from the side · 3D replay on the globe
Weather at the padPartly cloudy · 11 °C · wind 5 km/h
Forecast for liftoff time, from a six-hour outlook
Partly cloudy
- Temperature
- 11 °C · 51 °F
- Wind
- 5 km/h · 3 mph from NE
- Cloud cover
- 73%
- Rain
- none
General forecast by MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Each launch range applies its own, stricter weather rules.
Launch window and padSpace Launch Complex 4E · Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
- Window
- –
- Pad
- Space Launch Complex 4E
- Site
- Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
- Map
- Open in Google Maps
The pad: its launches and turnaround records → Everything launching from Vandenberg SFB →
Orbit and stages, explainedLow Earth orbit · what each of the two stages does
Where it's going: Low Earth orbit
- What it is
- The closest orbit, just above the air. To stay up there a satellite has to move sideways at about 28,000 km/h.
- How high
- About 160–2,000 km up. One lap takes about 90 minutes: 16 sunrises a day.
- Who goes there
- Most satellites fly here: the International Space Station (~420 km), Starlink (~550 km), Earth-imaging and science satellites.
- Tilt
- Vandenberg SFB lies at 34.6° N, but rockets from there fly south, over the sea: east is over land. So its orbits are steep ones, most of them polar or sun-synchronous.
How the rocket gets it there
- First stage
- The biggest part of the rocket. It lifts everything off the pad and through the thick lower air, then shuts down and separates at about T+2:10, roughly 59 km up and moving about 7,200 km/h.
- Second stage
- Starts high above most of the air, where its engine works best, and builds the sideways speed for orbit, about 28,000 km/h. It shuts down at about T+8:40 in a first orbit about 200 km up.
Rocket and boosterFalcon 9 Block 5 · B1097, 14th flight
- Vehicle
- Falcon 9 Block 5
- Reusable
- yes
- Booster
- B1097 · 14th flight
Falcon 9: specs, record and next flights → Booster B1097: every flight → SpaceX: all its launches →
MissionGovernment/Top Secret · Low Earth Orbit · for NRO
Government/Top Secret · Low Earth Orbit
Customers: NRO
Updates1 · latest: Added launch.
- Added launch. source
By the numbers7,444th orbital launch ever · SpaceX's 129th this year
- Orbital launch
- 7,444th ever · 271st of 2026
- SpaceX
- 748th launch · 129th this year
- Pad
- 310th from Space Launch Complex 4E · 72nd this year
- Pad turnaround
- 3 days 9 h after its previous launch
Counted as if every launch before this one flies on schedule.
Links1 page about this launch · trajectory on FlightClub
- SpaceX spacex.com
- Trajectory simulation on FlightClub
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