Cape Canaveral, United States - March 24, 2025 SpaceX launched its third mission of the year for the United States' spy satellite agency today (March 24), marking the 19th anniversary of the company's first-ever liftoff. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from a pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:48 p.m. EDT (1748 GMT). The mission, named NROL-69, was for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). This launch came exactly 19 years after SpaceX’s first attempt, when a Falcon 1 rocket took off from Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific. That mission failed, as did the next two Falcon 1 flights. The Falcon 1 later succeeded in its fourth and fifth missions in September 2008 and July 2009. It was then replaced by the Falcon 9, which first flew in June 2010. Details about NROL-69’s payload remain secret. The NRO only shared a brief note about the mission’s emblem—an origami-style hummingbird over a wetland, with the phrase "Numquan hibernare," Latin for "Never hibernate." The NRO said, "The Hummingbird illustrates the speed and agility with which we provide an advantage to the nation and its allies. Our bird is ever vigilant." The orbit for NROL-69 is unknown. SpaceX ended its webcast nine minutes after launch at the NRO’s request, after the Falcon 9’s first stage landed back at Cape Canaveral. This booster had flown once before, making this its second successful launch and landing, per SpaceX’s mission notes.