When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. SpaceX launched another batch of U.S. spy satellites from California's central coast tonight (Jan. 9). A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base tonight at 10:53 p.m. EST (7:53 p.m. local California time; 0353 GMT on Jan. 10) on the NROL-153 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). NROL-153 was the seventh launch servicing the NRO's "proliferated architecture," which the agency has described as consisting of "numerous, smaller satellites designed for capability and resilience." A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the NROL-153 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Jan. 9, 2025. (Image credit: SpaceX) We don't know much beyond that, as the NRO tends to be tight-lipped about its orbiting assets. However, the proliferated architecture satellites are thought to be "Starshield" craft — modified versions of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites featuring some high-tech reconnaissance gear.