The classified NROL-97 flight to high-energy orbit marks Falcon Heavy's debut on the National Reconnaissance Office's manifest and caps a 13-hour tripleheader that set a new booster-recovery record for SpaceX.
The flagship astronomy observatory lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on August 30, 2026, and successfully separated from its launch vehicle as it heads outward on a mission to probe dark energy and dark matter.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope rolled out to Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39A on Saturday, positioning NASA's next flagship observatory for an August 30 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.
