SpaceX is gearing up for its third rocket launch of 2026 from California.
And, notably, none of them have been missions to deploy the commercial spaceflight company’s Starlink internet satellites. Instead, SpaceX began January with a mission for the Italian Space Agency, followed up by a rideshare venture for other commercial companies, as well as NASA.
Now, the company’s Falcon 9 is due to launch to deploy some reconnaissance satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office – an intelligence agency under the U.S. Department of Defense, renamed by executive order as the Department of War…