Live coverage: SpaceX to launch classified payload for National Reconnaissance Office
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Spaceflight Now
July 29, 2026

Live coverage: SpaceX to launch classified payload for National Reconnaissance Office

Quick Summary

The NROL-95 mission will be the third payload for the National Reconnaissance Office launched under the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 procurement. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 3:09 a.m. EDT (0709 UTC).

Space Explainer: The ISS & Life in Orbit

The International Space Station has been continuously staffed since November 2000, making it the longest-running human outpost off Earth. It orbits roughly 400km up, circling the planet every 90 minutes at about 28,000 km/h — meaning the crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes.

Crew members typically rotate every 5-6 months, arriving and departing on Soyuz or Crew Dragon spacecraft. Their days are tightly scheduled around scientific experiments in microgravity, station maintenance, and roughly 2.5 hours of mandatory daily exercise to counteract the bone and muscle loss that comes from living without gravity.

Track the ISS Crew Live

Source: Spaceflight Now

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