SpaceX will launch a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office Thursday. Watch it live!
SpaceX is set to launch a spy satellite into orbit for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on Thursday (Dec. 17), and you can watch the action online.

The flight is scheduled to blast off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center here in Florida during a planned three-hour window that opens at 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT). However, the exact liftoff time has not yet been announced.

You can watch the launch live here and on the Space.com homepage, courtesy of SpaceX, beginning about 15 minutes before liftoff. You'll also be able to watch the launch directly from SpaceX here.
This mission will mark the 31st launch this year for SpaceX and its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, as well as the third Falcon 9 to fly in a little over a week. On Dec. 6, SpaceX kicked off its final launch run of the year by ferrying an upgraded cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station, marking the first time there were two such craft attached to the orbital outpost. A few days later, the California-based rocket builder launched a radio satellite into orbit for Sirius XM.

Now, SpaceX will close out a record-setting year with a bang. The company announced that this mission, dubbed NROL-108, includes a rare treat: an upright Falcon 9 booster landing at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, as opposed to the more common drone-ship landings at sea.
To date, SpaceX has successfully recovered 69 first-stage boosters, 20 of which touched down on terra firma. For its 70th, the company's Falcon 9 will touch down at one of the company's landing sites just 9 miles (14 kilometers) from where it lifted off. SpaceX warned central Florida residents that they should expect to hear sonic booms as the rocket touches down at LZ-1.

"There is the possibility that local residents may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing attempt," SpaceX officials said in an advisory emailed out to the media. "Residents of Brevard County are most likely to hear one or more sonic boom, although what residents experience will depend on weather conditions and other factors."

Officials at the U.S. Air Force's 45th weather squadron have said that the weather looks good for Thursday's attempt, with 70% chance of favorable conditions for launch. The main issues for concern are liftoff winds and potential for a thick cloud layer.

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