SpaceX launches US spy satellites from California, sticks landing

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the NROL-179 for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 19, 2026 at 4:50 a.m. EDT (0850 GMT; 1:50 a.m. local California time). Credit: SpaceX