Residents along Florida’s Space Coast were warned to expect sonic booms after SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch carrying the classified NROL-97 mission for the US National Reconnaissance Office.
The rocket was scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 11.53pm local time on Thursday, 1 October. SpaceX listed a back-up opportunity for 11.48pm on Friday, 2 October. ([spacex.com](https://www.spacex.com/launches/nrol97/?utm_source=openai))
Falcon Heavy launch expected to bring sonic booms
The Falcon Heavy’s two outer boosters were due to return to Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station shortly after separation.
People near Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach could hear loud, double sonic booms around seven to eight minutes after liftoff, as the boosters slowed through the speed of sound during their descent. A fainter boom could be heard farther inland several minutes later.
The NROL-97 payload is classified, and the National Reconnaissance Office has not disclosed details of the satellite or its intended orbit. The launch is the first time the agency has used Falcon Heavy, which is powered by 27 Merlin engines and is making its 14th flight. ([spaceflightnow.com](https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/10/01/falcon-heavy-to-fly-its-first-mission-for-u-s-spy-satellite-agency/))
SpaceX said the two side boosters had previously flown missions including the GOES-U weather satellite, the Viasat-3 F3 communications satellite and NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. One booster was making its second flight, while the other was due to fly for a fourth time. ([spacex.com](https://www.spacex.com/launches/nrol97/?utm_source=openai))
The mission formed part of an unusually busy day for SpaceX. It followed the launch of the Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station from Florida and a separate Falcon 9 launch from California.
If all three missions went ahead as planned, SpaceX would have carried out three Falcon launches within roughly 13 hours and landed four boosters in a single day, according to Spaceflight Now. ([spaceflightnow.com](https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/10/01/falcon-heavy-to-fly-its-first-mission-for-u-s-spy-satellite-agency/))
