At 1400 GMT on 21 December 2020 a SpaceX Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket launched the NRO L-108 mission for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) into a low Earth orbit. The launch used the former Space Shuttle pad LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) near Cape Canaveral, Florida. Two payloads were tracked as USA 312 and USA 313 but orbital details have not been released by the US Space Force. However, amateur observers have measured it in a 540 x 520 km orbit with a 51.35 degree inclination relative to the equator.
The two payloads of NRO L108 were launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9. Courtesy: SpaceX
As part of the launch, the reusable first stage B1059 on its fifth flight was sent flying back to the Florida coast to land at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) in Cape Canaveral.
The reusable Falcon 9 first stage B1059 on its fifth flight lands successfully at LZ-1. Courtesy: SpaceX
In being the 30th launch from the pads at Kennedy Space Centre and Cape Canaveral, breaking a 54 year record.
