SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday night out of Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The mission was on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office, an agency under the Department of Defense. The agency designs, builds, launches, and operates the nation's reconnaissance satellites.
The NROL-57 mission was SpaceX’s third launch from Vandenberg this month and ninth from the base so far this year.
The rocket’s first-stage booster landed back at Vandenberg, creating a sonic boom many people in the area likely heard.
