July 30 (UPI) — A Falcon 9 rocket topped with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office launched from Florida’s east coast early Thursday.
The rocket launched at 3:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Little information about the NROL-95 mission has been made public aside from the fact that the payload was designed, built and will be operated by the NRO. The broadcast of the launch was restricted at the request of the NRO, SpaceX said, with the second stage two and deployment of the payload not shown.
The first-stage booster, on its seventh flight, returned to Earth and successfully landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
It was the 88th Falcon launch of the year and the 12th this month, according to SpaceX.
There was a 30% chance of weather-related launch constraints, with a backup launch scheduled for Friday.