Christopher Scolese

New Capabilities

As of July 2026: Left the agency July 10, 2026

A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 3:10 a.m. Eastern on July 30, carrying a classified payload called NROL-95 for the National Reconnaissance Office, the US agency that builds and runs spy satellites. It was the agency's fourth launch of 2026. The booster, on its seventh flight, landed for reuse.

Updated Jul 30

New Capabilities

As of June 2026: Leading the agency's shift to a proliferated constellation

For decades, U.S. spy satellites were a handful of expensive giants, each roughly the size of a bus and worth billions. The National Reconnaissance Office is swapping that model for a swarm of small, mass-produced spacecraft.

Updated Jun 19