A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the NROL-48 mission from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sept. 22, 2025 at 1:38 p.m. EDT (1738 GMT; 10:38 a.m. local California time).
00:00T-minus 15 seconds, T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ignition, and liftoff of Falcon 9.
00:19Go SpaceX, go NRL 48.
00:21Vehicles pitching downrange.
00:32M1D chamber pressures are nominal.
00:34At T-plus 30 seconds and counting, Falcon 9 has successfully lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
00:53And in just a few seconds, we'll throttle the engines down in preparation for max Q, a period of maximum aerodynamic pressure.
00:59This is a critical moment during flight, because the combined stresses caused by Falcon 9 accelerating through the atmosphere and the ambient static pressure are at their greatest.
01:10To help go from vertical to horizontal, the first stage also performed a pitch kick just after liftoff.
01:17This is a maneuver known as a gravity turn, where the engines gimbal a small amount, and it turns the first stage from going straight up to horizontal.
01:24We just heard the confirmation of max Q, where the rocket experienced the greatest mechanical stress during flight.
01:31The rocket typically needs to go 17,500 miles per hour horizontally in order to avoid being pulled back to Earth and get into orbit.
01:39You can track our progress to orbit by watching the left corner of your display that's showing first stage, velocity, and altitude.
01:45Now, coming up, we have several events in quick succession.
01:50We should hear all these called out by Mission Control, starting with main engine cutoff, or MECO, then stage separation, stage 1 flip, second engine start 1, and boost back burn.
02:00Main engine cutoff is when we shut down all nine M1D engines on the first stage.
02:05Stage separation is when the first and second stages of Falcon 9 decouple from one another.
02:09Stage 1 flip is when the booster uses its nitrogen gas thrusters to flip the booster's orientation around.
02:14Second engine start 1, we will light the MVAC engine on the second stage for the first time, and after that is boost back burn, where the engines will light to place stage 1 on a trajectory to the landing zone.
02:25So keep an eye out for those events happening back-to-back.
02:33Stage separation confirmed.
02:37Ego.
02:44I'm back, start up.
02:58And there were a confirmation of MECO, stage separation, stage 1 flip, second engine start 1, and boost back burn.
03:07Coming up will be fairing separation just a few seconds from now.
03:12The fairing jettisoned away from the second stage, as it is no longer needed to protect the payload once we're in space.
03:17Fairing separation confirmed.
03:20Great confirmation of fairing separation.
03:22And as mentioned earlier, we will be attempting to retrieve those fairing halves again once they fall back to Earth.
03:26Now, coming up next will be the shutdown of the boost back burn.
03:32We are currently at T plus 3 minutes and about 30 seconds into today's mission, and the next major milestone is coming up at the T plus 6 minute mark, when you should see the first stage's entry burn on your screen.
04:00To start that entry burn, we will be lighting the three M1D engines on the first stage, starting with the center engine, known as E9, and followed shortly by the E1 and E5 engines.
04:13This is similar to pumping the brakes to slow the vehicle down as it passes back into Earth's atmosphere.
04:19We need to do this to slow down and reduce re-entry forces, which will help us recover and reuse the first stage.
04:25During the entry burn, Falcon 9 is decelerating by firing its Merlin engines, but the vehicle is still moving really fast.
04:33And this causes it to fly through Merlin's exhaust gases, also known as the rocket's plume, which deposits a layer of soot on the vehicle's surface.
04:41That's why our flight-proven vehicles look the way that they do.
04:44That soot comes from the carbon-based fuel that Falcon 9 uses, and with each flight, that layer of soot builds up a little bit more on the surface of the vehicle.
04:56Both vehicles are on a nominal trajectory.
04:58Now we are still more than one minute away from the beginning of the entry burn.
05:08On the left side of your screen, you can see the first stage decelerating and making its way back to Earth.
05:14At the request of our customer, we will not be displaying any views of stage 2 for today.
05:19We do have some great views of the Falcon 9 first stage on its return journey, and it's not only using those Merlin engines, but also nitrogen gas thrusters and titanium grid fins for control.
05:33Reusability is key to lowering the cost of spaceflight, enabling more investments in critical space infrastructure.
05:39The Falcon 9 first stage supporting today's mission is performing this entry burn for its 18th time, and the payload fairings are also flight-proven, with one half flying for its 28th time, and the other for its 27th.
05:52Now, we are about 15 seconds away from the beginning of the entry burn, which is the second of three burns that Falcon 9 will perform on its way back to Vandenberghe.
06:11You'll see the engine graphics light up, as the engines themselves do, on the bottom of your screen.
06:22The entry burn has begun for the first stage.
06:33This will last about 15 seconds, and again, we're slowing the vehicle down in preparation for its final burn in landing.
06:45Now, the entry burn has shut down on the first stage, and coming up next will be the landing burn in a little bit less than a minute from now.
06:52The Merlin engines on the Falcon 1st stage are optimized for sea level, and they each achieve around 190,000 pounds of thrust each during ascent and descent.
07:03At liftoff, Falcon 9's first stage has thrust greater than five 747 airplanes at full power.
07:10In comparison, the single MVAC engine on the second stage has a much wider nozzle than the M1D sea level engines, and it's optimized to operate in space, producing 225 pounds of thrust and vacuum.
07:27Now, the landing burn has begun for the Falcon 9 first stage.
07:35This is the final burn the booster will perform before landing.
07:38Another successful landing of our Falcon 9 rocket.
08:08This was the 18th launch and landing for this first stage.
08:14Now, as a reminder, we will not be showing any stage 2 or deployment views at the request of our customer.
08:19So, with that landing of the Falcon booster, we will be bringing our webcast to a close.
08:25We'd like to thank the NRO for entrusting us with today's mission, and we'd also like to thank the Range and FAA for their support.
08:31If you're interested in more launch coverage, head over to spacex.com forward slash launches for the most up-to-date information.
08:38And when you're there, check out our new departure board featuring our upcoming launches with details such as mission name, launch, and landing site, and liftoff time.
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