A new constellation of imaging satellites developed by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman is being deployed by the agency for the first time with NROL-146.The NROL-146 mission was successfully launched by SpaceX on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:00 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This mission marks the introduction of the NRO's widely used technologies, which offer quick data delivery and fast data collection. After recent demonstrations to confirm cost and performance, NROL-146 marks the first launch of an operational system.